
Class B 5J17 I 

Book *-3 5J2 — 

Copyright N° ! 



COPYKIGMT DEPOSIT. 



Historical 
and Expository Notes 



ON 

THE PATRIARCHS, KINGS AND 
PROPHETS OF ISRAEL 



BY 

Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D. 

YALE UNIVERSITY 
AND 

Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D. 

LONDON, ENG. 



BIBLE STUDY PUBLISHING COMPANY 
BOSTON 



.632 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

DEC 30 1907 

Copyright tntry 
CLA6S/\ XXc. No, 



Copyright, 190 , 
By the Bible Study Publishing Company 



PREFACE 



These notes were written to accompany the Bible Study 
Union Biographical lessons on the Patriarchs, Kings and 
Prophets of the Old Testament. They were originally pub- 
lished in various weekly papers, and were found so valuable 
as to warrant their issue in book form for permanent use. 

Dean Sanders aims in his part of the work to give the his- 
torical setting of each lesson. In doing this he has brought 
together in popular form a wide range of archaeological, lit- 
erary and historical data .which throw light upon the actual 
personalities of the Old Testament record. This enables the 
teacher and student to win a true historical perspective and 
thus to understand each lesson in the light of its contribution 
to the progress of events and its original meaning. While 
ignoring the crude and unproved theories of recent investi- 
gations, these notes embody the best of the well-established 
results of modern scholarship, so far as they are of value in 
giving vividness and accuracy to interpretation. 

Dr. Morgan's aim, on the contrary, is to bring out the 
principal homiletic and practical teachings of the lessons. His 
work assumes that the student has become acquainted with 
the Scripture facts through the study of the lesson itself, and 
proceeds to set forth the great spiritual and moral truths 
naturally derived from them. His acknowledged skill in this 
kind of exposition makes his notes especially helpful. 

Teachers and pupils alike will find these notes a great 
aid toward the correct understanding and best use of the 
Scripture material. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

i. Abraham's Migration to Canaan ..... i 

2. Abraham's Nobility of Character .... 6 

3. Abraham's Loyalty to God 10 

4. Jacob's Flight to Haran 15 

5. Jacob's Return to Canaan ........ 20 

6. Joseph the Favorite Son 25 

7. Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams .... 30 

8. Joseph the Prime Minister 35 

9. Joseph's Noble Spirit Shown 39 

10. The Last Days of Joseph 44 

11. Moses' Training for Public Service .... 49 

12. Moses before Pharaoh 54 

13. Review of Chapters 1-12 59 

14. Moses the Liberator 65 

15. Moses the Leader .......... 70 

16. Moses the Lawgiver 75 

17. Moses the Mediator 80 

18. Moses at Kadesh-barnea . 85 

19. Moses and the March to Canaan .... 90 

20. Joshua the Courageous Leader 95 

21. Joshua in Canaan • 100 

22. Gideon the Heroic Judge 105 

23. Samuel's First Message from God . . . • no 

24. Samuel the Judge and Seer 115 

25. Saul the First King 120 

26. Review of Chapters 14-25 . 125 

v 



vi Introduction 



PAGE 



CHAPTER 

27. David's Early Life I3 o 

28. David's Flight from Saul 135 

29. David the Outlaw 140 

3D- David the King 145 

31. David's Old Age 150 

32. Solomon Made King 155 

33. Solomon's Greatest Work 161 

34. Solomon's Magnificence and Folly .... 166 

35. Elijah the Prophet of Fire 171 

36. Elijah the Man of God 176 

37. Elisha the People's Friend 181 

38. Elisha the Public Benefactor 187 

39. Review of Chapters 27-38 192 

40. Asa and the First Reformation in Judah . . 198 

41. JOASH AND THE SECOND REFORMATION IN JUDAH 203 

42. Isaiah the Statesman-prophet 208 

43. Hezekiah and the Third Reformation in Judah 214 

44. Hezekiah in Trouble 220 

45. Josiah and the Last Reformation in Judah 225 

46. Jeremiah the Prophet 230 

47. Jeremiah the Patriot 235 

48. Daniel and his Friends 240 

49. Zerubbabel and the Return 245 

50. Nehemiah the Builder of the Wall .... 250 

51. Ezra and Nehemiah Establishing the Law 255 

52. Review of Chapters 40-51 260 



HISTORICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES 



Lesson 1. ABRAHAM'S MIGRATION TO CANAAN. 
The Beginning of the Hebrew People. Scripture 
Section, Gen. 11: 27—12: 20$ 15: 1 — 17: 27 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank EC. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
The Biographical Method the Bible Method. 

The biographical method of relating history is the 
method which was adopted by the prophetic historians 
of the Bible. These men took little or no pains to in- 
dicate the time relations of an age ; they described only 
in an incidental way its social and political changes; 
but they rejoiced to portray its great leaders, the men 
through whose sensitiveness to the Divine presence and 
useful personalities God could re-introduce Himself to 
mankind and promote a new departure in religious his- 
tory. 

This emphasis on personalities rather than events ex- 
plains the never-ending charm of these historical writ- 
ings; but it is also the great working method for the 
Biblical historian. It passes over trivial data and cen- 
ters attention upon the important factors of every his- 
torical movement. It converts historical narrative from 
that which merely stores the mind into that which stim- 
ulates the life. It enables the memory to retain with 
ease the achievements of centuries. 

Archaeological Data a Valuable Supplement. 

In the book of Genesis, beginning with the story of 
Abraham, this Scriptural method is effectively used. 
Three great personalities dominate its pages and furnish 
the clue to the Biblical interpretation of the history of 
the centuries which preceded the exodus and settlement 
of the Hebrew people in Canaan. So far removed from 



2 Historical and Expository Notes 

us, however, both in time and in surroundings, are these 
personalities that in order to comprehend their Biblical 
portraitures it is desirable that we use the supplemen- 
tary data afforded by archaeological research. Kealiz- 
ing in this way the working environment of a great 
leader, we can make a truer and more valuable estimate 
of his place in the history of religion. 

Abraham, the Religious Pioneer. 

Archaeology cannot establish beyond dispute the his- 
torical reality of Abraham, but does prove the general 
reasonableness of the Scriptural narratives regarding 
him. It throws a valuable light upon three questions, 
which are raised by Genesis 11 and 12 : the stock from 
which he sprung, the social and religious conditions of 
his age, and the probable motive for his migration. 

The Hebrews belonged to the Semitic family of na- 
tions, a group of peoples characterized historically by 
initiative zeal and religious susceptibility, but lacking 
the Aryan genius for unification and administration. 
Originating probably in Arabia, the Semites imposed 
themselves in successive waves of invasion upon the con- 
tracted world of Western Asia. Long before any date 
which is assignable to Abraham, these Semitic invaders 
had established themselves in Babylonia, absorbing or 
crowding southwards the earlier non-Semitic inhabi- 
tants. 

The resultant civilization was a curious mingling of 
the progressive and the traditional, outwardly brilliant, 
spiritually dead. The absolute dominance of the priest- 
ly class throughout the compact social organization 
hampered and practically prevented religious progress. 

The only clue which the Biblical historian furnishes 
to the exact date of Abraham is found in Genesis 14. 
If the Amraphel of verse 1 was the one who became the 
famous King Hammurabi of Babylon, it places Abra- 
ham not far from 2250 B. c. The Babylonia of that 
age was the leading country of its world. From every 
material point of view it furnished an ideal home for a 



Old Testament Bio graphical Series, Lesson 1 3 

man of culture and wealth. The most adequate motive 
for forsaking it is the one which the Bible suggests. To 
one to whom the Divine was a precious reality the rigid 
polytheism of Babylonia would become intolerable. To 
such a one the relative freedom of the plains and hills 
of Aram and Canaan would be greatly prized, for there 
at least would be possible a simple and natural inter- 
course with God. 



II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Abraham's Unquestioning Obedience. 

"Terah went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of 
Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there."— Gen. 11: 31. 
"And Abram took Sarai his wife, and . . . went forth to go 
into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came." 
— Gen. 12; 5. 

In this short record of the movements of Terah and 
his son Abraham we recognize the Divine force which 
had entered into the life of the latter. He had heard 
the voice of Jehovah, and forsaking kindred and land 
had followed its counsel. Terah started with the same 
purpose, but failed to realize it. Abraham started for 
Canaan, and into the land of Canaan he came. 

It is probable that this movement of Terah was one 
of spiritual discontent. Ur of the Chaldees was full 
of idols. Was the soul of this man hungering for the 
spiritual uplifting which it was impossible to find in 
his surroundings, and was it the wish to get away from 
the atmosphere of idolatry which led to his migration? 
Many a man with similar experiences has turned his 
back upon old associations with the hope of being bet- 
ter able to find the solace which seemed denied in the 
old environment. 

Terah, however, did not go far enough. When he 
came to Haran he "dwelt there." What led to this 
change of purpose, we are not told. It may be that 
tempted by prospects of earthly gains, the spiritual 
voice was silenced. The experience is not unusual. Too 



4 Historical and Expository Notes 

frequently the "silver mines" of Bunyan's dream cut 
short the journey of many. They turn aside and are 
heard of no more in the quest of life. After the death 
of Terah the distinct call came to his son Abraham, and 
he obeyed, going all the way. 

Abraham's Loyalty to God. 

In Gen. 12:1-3 — God's command and promise to 
Abraham — we have revealed God's principle and pur- 
pose, — His selection of a man absolutely loyal to His 
commands, to whom the will of Jehovah would be the 
final test of life and character. Such is always the 
Divine principle of selection. The purpose of God in 
this choice was twofold: the creation of a nation 
through such a man; the blessing of all nations 
through such a nation. "I will make of thee a great 
nation ... be thou a blessing: ... in thee 
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." 

Abraham reveals the true ideal of life loyal to God. 
His immediate response to the call of Jehovah was in- 
dicative of the absolute submission of his will, without 
questioning, to the will of heaven. "Not knowing 
whither he went," he obeyed. The symbols of his life 
were the tent and the altar; the first indicating his 
readiness to be disturbed by Divine commands, the 
second his perpetual loyalty to God. Many an altar 
on which falls no heavenly flame is a monument of dis- 
obedience, instead of being the symbol of loyalty to Him 
who calleth. We might, if we were quick to hear, catch 
the cry, "This is not your resting place." The altar 
and the tent are the symbols of the consecrated life, 
waiting for the King's command. 

Abraham's Frailties. 

There are evidences, however, of the frailty even of so 
great a man as Abraham. Take his deceit about his 
wife in Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20). How disappointing 
is the record of this man chosen of God for the bless- 
ing of all nations of the earth! The faith which 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 1 5 

triumphed in Haran and Canaan failed in Egyptian at- 
mosphere. In the light of to-day Abraham's conduct is 
inexcusable. God saved what Abraham in his fearful- 
ness nearly lost. This was an occasion when for the 
moment, under circumstances of extreme difficulty, he 
trusted rather to his diplomacy, than to God. Then 
again, his fear lest Eliezer of Damascus should be his 
heir (Gen. 15:2,3). It was a right fear in that such 
an event would have prevented the realization of the 
national idea. It was a wrong fear in that he did not 
wholly trust God. Again the whole story of the birth 
of Ishmael (Gen. ch. 16) is a revelation of faltering 
faith. 

Against all these let the faithfulness of God be set 
in contrast. He brought him out of Egypt notwith- 
standing his folly. He gave him a great vision to 
silence his fears. And finally, He miraculously pro- 
vided the seed for the fulfilment of His promise. In 
the failures of others, faith has demonstrated in its 
growth through the centuries, that nothing is impos- 
sible with God. 



6 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 2. ABRAHAM'S NOBILITY OF CHARACTER. 
His Kindness to Lot and Plea for Sodom. Scripture 
Section, Gen. chs. 13, 14; 18: 1 — 19: 29 

1. Historical Notes 
By Deaa Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Advantages of Canaan as a Home. 

The historical writers of the Bible set forth in many 
ways the conviction that all human history is but the 
outworking of the well-defined plan of God. The ad- 
justment of the Hebrews, the religious teachers of man- 
kind, to such a country as Canaan for their permanent 
home strikingly justified this belief. The land of Ca- 
naan was a highway of nations. The stream of traffic 
between Babylonia and Egypt, the two centers of cul- 
ture, commerce and aggressive empire in the early cen- 
turies, was ever moving to and fro within easy ken of 
its inhabitants, enabling them to come in touch with 
the world's progress. 

The topography of Canaan was quite as important 
as its situation. Its curious gridiron-like configura- 
tion made it also a land of privacy and seclusion where 
villages only a few miles apart might be wholly unre- 
lated, where the population, with the Semitic instinct 
for individuality, often gave little heed to other than 
local interests. Canaan stood for safety no less than for 
stimulus. 

Abraham's Loyalty to his Family. 

The motive of the raid of the four kings, headed by 
Amraphel, upon the five kings near Sodom is found 
in the necessity for maintaining the regularity and se- 
curity of the movement of Babylonian commerce. Its 
free course was quite essential to Babylonia's wealth 
and influence. Hence the prompt attack upon possible 
disturbers. Abraham's courageous pursuit of the ex- 
pedition was due to the fact that his kinsman was 
among the captives. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 2 7 

The motive of kinship was all-powerful in that age. 
Society was organized on the basis of the clan. Any 
sacrifice was demanded of the individual which would 
benefit the group to which he was related by birth. It 
is interesting to notice how responsive Abraham is said 
to have been to the obligations of kinship. Not only 
did he exhibit high-mindedness, patience, thoughtful- 
ness and courage in his dealings with his irresponsive, 
selfish kinsman; his representative character caused 
him to manifest a dignified friendliness and generous 
hospitality to all who met him, while anticipating an 
honorable and significant future for the family of which 
he had become the leader. 

The Reality of Abraham's Faith, 

The social setting given by the Biblical historian to 
the story of Abraham's later life is that of a wealthy 
and powerful nomadic chieftain. His household ar- 
rangements, his diplomatic methods, his dealings with 
individuals are such as we would expect from a tribal 
ruler of that day. It is along religious lines that he 
departs from the normal. The maturity and insight 
ascribed to him in his argument with God in Gen. ch. 18 
would be worthy of a prophet with Jeremiah's experi- 
ence and education. He not only affirms God's ethical 
perfection and sovereign power, but ventures to oppose 
his own judgment to that of God. How far this ex- 
presses the interpretation of the writer, no one can cer- 
tainly determine. Abraham was a great religious leader, 
but it is unlikely that he was in any sense a theologian. 
He was rather one who stood in close and real relations 
with the Divine. In an age tending rapidly toward 
barren formalism in religion, he illustrated "the free- 
dom and the enthusiasm of genuine faith. Through his 
power of seeing that which is unseen and of dealing 
with that which is intangible, he helped to make God 
a living reality within the reach of the ordinary man. 
No greater service could be rendered by any human be- 
ing to his fellowmen, 



8 Historical and Expository Notes 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D. Northfield, Mass. 
Abraham's Generosity to Lot. 

This lesson affords a great illustration of the royalty 
of character built upon the principle of simple faith in 
God. Abraham returned from Egypt "very rich in 
cattle, in silver, and in gold." But more precious than 
these was the faith which in his testing had sprung 
into being. The simple record is suggestive. "He 
went . . . unto the place where his tent had been at 
the beginning . . . unto the place of the altar, which 
he had made there at the first." This faith is witnessed : 

1. In Abraham's Generosity to Lot, Prosperity 
had increased the difficulty of providing for their 
flocks, and with the increase of labor came the out- 
break of discomfort and strife between the herdsmen. 
Faith in God made it possible for Abraham to be gen- 
erous. With magnificent unselfishness he urged Lot to 
prevent strife by separating, gave him the first choice 
of suitable land, electing to take that which was re- 
jected by Lot. The principle of Abraham's life was 
that he abandoned himself to God, having chosen the 
Divine choice, whatever it might be. The two men 
present a striking contrast. One absolutely surren- 
dered his life and possessions to Jehovah, generous 
with the magnitude of a living faith; the other was 
selfish, thoughtless, ungracious. 

The latter class never gives God a chance to work 
surprises, is always making the demonstrations of Di- 
vine succor impossible, responds to the greed of the 
eye, and ignores the impulses of the soul. Such men 
never make generous offers, they are always looking 
out for them. 

2. In Abraham's Rescue of Lot from the Four Kings. 
This royalty of character is yet more forcefully mani- 
fested in the fact that when the man who chose for 
himself was in trouble, Abraham went to his help and 
gained the victory over his foes. The man who leaves 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 2 9 

God out of the question in ordering his steps, walks 
in the dark. Sodom with all its sin and abomination 
blinded the vision of Lot, baffled his judgment, fooled 
his soul. 'Toward that city he pitched his tent, but 
we do not read of the erection of an altar. He main- 
tained the tent, indicating his preparedness for imme- 
diate removal, but the next step is that he entered the 
city and dwelt there. 

In Gen. 14:1-12 we read of the four kings who 
combined and made war upon Sodom and Gomorrah. 
"And they took Lot . . . who dwelt in Sodom, 
and his goods, and departed." If Lot had be- 
come conscious of the selfish advantage taken over 
Abraham, no evidence is recorded of any betrayal of 
remorse. But the consciousness of his greed, and the 
calamity which followed must have been eloquent wit- 
ness against his folly. With the magnanimity 
of soul peculiar to men of faith, Abraham pursued the 
invaders, scattered their forces, rescued the captives, 
and brought them back in triumph to their homes. 

3. In Abraham's Plea for Sodom. The superlative 
manifestation of the royalty of character comes how- 
ever, when the guilty cities were threatened with Di- 
vine judgment. Abraham is seen pleading for them 
face to face with God. With the sin of Sodom and 
Gomorrah Abraham had nothing in common. The at- 
mosphere of the cities was pregnant with iniquity. Yet 
when judgment was threatened, the faith which 
obeyed Jehovah, dared to plead with Him to spare the 
sinners. It is the man of faith that weeps over the 
cities in their infatuation and folly. The character 
faith creates does not wish for judgment, but cries for 
mercy. 

Side by side with his revelation of the royalty of 
faith again notice carefully what God is able to do 
with such a man. (a) When Lot's choice was made, 
God chose for Abraham. With our limitations we see 
only to the boundary of to-day. There is no veil before 



io Historical and Expository Notes 

the eyes of Jehovah. We grasp at the unreal. God 
holds for us the everlasting, (b) When Abraham's 
victory was gained, God sent forth Melchizedek to min- 
ister to him. Angels minister always to the faith that 
triumphs in God's name, (c) When Abraham pleaded 
for Sodom, it was because God had taken him 
into confidence about the coming judgment, and God 
is seen listening to, and reasoning with, this man 
of faith. 



Lesson 3. ABRAHAM'S LOYALTY TO GOD. His 
Obedience regarding Isaac. Scripture Section, Gen. 
21; 1-25: 11 

I. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Naturalness of the Portrait of Abraham. 

No one can deny that if the portraiture of Abraham 
in Genesis is the product, or largely so, of the loving 
imagination of a reverent Hebrew historian of a much 
later age, his task was admirably done, with accuracy in 
details, with proportion and cleverness. The portrait 
is to the life. With a reasonable allowance for figura- 
tive or rhetorical expression, the narrative does not set 
forth an impossible man, but one who is normal, the 
sort of personality which God selects for leadership in 
all ages, who represents not merely the tendencies or 
foibles or shortcomings of his age, but also its possi- 
bilities and its inspirations. 

The episodes to which particular attention is paid 
in this lesson furnish an excellent illustration. Both 
in the attempted sacrifice of Isaac and in the choice of 
Rebekah for Isaac's wife we may note the action 
natural to a high-minded man, distinguished alike for 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 8 n 

his devotion to God and his belief in the future of his 
family, or clan. 

Ancient customs, as revealed by such reliable au- 
thority as the recently discovered law code of Ham- 
murabi, gave to the natural head of a clan or family 
an almost absolute power over all its members. The 
necessities of community life, particularly the main- 
tenance of uniform laws and of settled conditions, 
gave certain limits to such power; but among the 
peoples who spent their lives in roaming from one 
favorite pasturage to another there was practically no 
restraint, save that imposed by tradition, upon the will 
of the acknowledged chief. The right of Abraham to 
put his son to death would not be questioned. 

The love of the Semite for the human group to which 
he belonged was very marked, far outweighing his in- 
stinct for nationality. Posterity was his supreme de- 
sire. While ancient custom recognized his right to have 
children by his female slaves, yet the most precious 
possession which a man of influence and outlook could 
possibly have was a son and heir by his principal, free- 
born wife. As a test of Abraham's devotedness to God 
nothing could surpass his deliberate consecration of 
such a son. Nor was it unnatural. The Semitic mind 
is intense; it proceeds readily to extremes; it longs to 
put into concrete expression the loyalty of which it is 
conscious. In Abraham's day the sacrifice of a first- 
born son was the accepted token of absolute obedience 
to God among the environing peoples. 

Clan loyalty fully explains the marriage of Isaac to 
one of his kindred. Wherever the unit of society is the 
clan, marriages are guarded with care and limited, as 
far as possible, to those who are akin. The marriage 
of the heir of the chief would be expected both to fur- 
ther the sense of clan unity and to promote the continu- 
ance of its political and social traditions. To take for 
Isaac a Canaanitish bride would be to forego the ad- 
vantages of the removal from Babylonia, 



12 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Evidence of Abraham's Historical Existence. 

The details of Abraham's life as given in the Bible 
are historically accurate. While this creates a presump- 
tion in favor of the personal existence of the patriarch, 
it does not of necessity shut out other possible inter- 
pretations of the Scripture narrative. The use made 
of proper names in Genesis, for instance, is so varied 
that many scholars interpret the patriarchal lineage as 
the personification of the gradual aggregation of re- 
lated clans into a loose tribal confederation. Corrob- 
orative evidence for any interpretation cannot be ex- 
pected from outside sources. No extra Biblical refer- 
ences to such a man as Abraham have been found, or 
ever will be. To the annalists of his age — chroniclers 
of the doings of kings — he would be insignificant or 
unknown. 

The real historical argument is this: conditions 
never create themselves. The people whom Moses led 
out of Egypt were worth delivering because of tenden- 
cies and traditions which linked them to God in a 
healthy and hopeful relationship. Nothing so ade- 
quately explains the usableness of the Hebrews for di- 
vine purposes as the stamp placed upon them as a race 
by their great progenitor and pioneer. The book of 
Genesis unquestionably contains much racial geography 
under the guise of family enlargement, but along with 
its broad declarations of a racial affinity between groups 
of foreigners who invaded Canaan and settled there, 
should stand its affirmation of a personal religious 
leadership of one of these groups which widely differ- 
entiates it from the others. 



II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Abraham's Faith Triumphant. 

In this lesson we see Abraham in two supreme tests 
of his loyalty to God upon the basis of faith. 



Old Testament Biograpliical Series, Lesson 3 13 

1. His attempted sacrifice of Isaac. All his hopes 
were centred upon this only son. Through him Abra- 
ham looked for the fulfilment of Jehovah's promise. 
The lad was the living witness of His supremacy over 
finite "impossibilities/' Yet when Abraham was called 
to offer him to God as a burnt offering, immediately 
he obeyed, and went forward on the journey. We can 
understand the sadness of that obedience but we are 
appalled by the sublimity of the faith. This faith is 
revealed supremely in what he said to the young men 
who accompanied him and Isaac. "I and the lad will 
go yonder; and we will worship and come again to 
you" (Gen. 22:5). The verb "worship" here is plural, 
and so also is the verb "come again." Thus it is evi- 
dent that Abraham believed that God would fulfil the 
promise even though He had to raise Isaac to life 
again after he had been offered. That this is true is 
borne out by the words of the writer of the letter to 
the Hebrews (Heb. 11 :19). 

2. The sending for BebekaJi. This is a picture of 
faith acting within the realm of reason. Appreciation 
of God's will does not exclude the exercise of common 
sense. It is no evidence of faith to be dependent upon 
signs and miracles to know what God would have us 
do. Abraham knew that separation from idolatrous 
peoples was the will of God, and faith acted reason- 
ably in taking steps to arrange for such, a marriage 
for Isaac as should fulfil the Divine intention. An 
alliance with an idolatrous house must not prevent 
Jehovah's purpose. Abraham reasoned out the ques- 
tion, and solved the problem to the satisfaction of his 
own judgment, then acted in the faith that God would 
direct the issue of his endeavor. How that reasonable 
faith was recognized by Jehovah the union between 
Isaac and Eebekah demonstrated. 

The great lessons from these two incidents are: 
(1) When faith cannot reason, it acts simply in obe- 
dience. Many are the commands of God which baffle 



14 Historical and Expository Notes 

our judgment. Along the path which He commands 
us to tread, oftentimes no light of human reason can 
dispel the darkness. The thick cloud, obscurity, im- 
penetrable blackness, defy the exercise of any faculty 
but that of faith. Then it is that knowing His will, 
we go forth in the confidence that He knoweth the 
way that we take. The sublime trust in the unerring 
judgment of God brings the benediction of omnipotent 
support, guidance, victory. 

(2) When there is open to faith a door of reason- 
able action it always avails itself thereof. Here how 
many err, confusing things which are different. Indis- 
cretion is not a sign of confidence. To put faith in 
such conduct does not change the character of foolish 
deeds. Reasonable faith prevents them. By much 
that is called faith God is no more honored than men 
are helped. To substitute "zeal without knowledge" 
for reasonable faith based upon the known will of 
God necessitates a miracle to prevent a calamity, or 
brings confusion and defeat. Understand the will of 
God. Do it, and we shall know when the door of 
reasonable action stands open before us. Into the 
service of faith, learn from Abraham's triumph to 
bring mind and heart into co-operation with the mind 
and heart of God. Let knowledge and confidence en- 
rich your faith and magnify the Lord of hosts. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson £ i$ 

Lesson 4. JACOB'S FLIGHT TO HARAN. His Dishon- 
orable Conduct toward Esau. Scripture Section, 
Gen. 25: 19 — 28: 22 

I. Historical Notes 
By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Skill of Biblical Biographers. 

It has been well said by a distinguished Biblical 
scholar that there is in the historical writings a wealth 
of beauty and religious instruction for those students 
who approach them with the higher appreciation and 
insight of those who are trained to study the historian's 
art of representation, to seek for the motive which may 
have led him to select and arrange his data as we find 
them and to interpret his production as a natural whole 
and from the writer's point of view. Such students find 
the patriarchal narratives fascinating and, above all 
others, the story of Jacob. It illustrates what Prof. 
Moulton aptly terms the "epic" element in the historical 
narratives of the Old Testament, by which he means 
the element added by the constructive imagination of a 
reverent writer, the element which stimulates into ac- 
tivity the reader's own power of vivid realization of 
an age or an episode or a character. A skilful histo- 
rian suggests far more than he says. He sketches out- 
lines which his readers fill in. Only as they seek to in- 
terpret his narrative from his own standpoint and with 
friendly enthusiasm, do they receive his real message. 

Jacob a Prototype of the People of Israel. 

The story of Jacob is a study of character, portrayed 
with great skill in picturesque detail. The writer with- 
out doubt believed that he was describing an actual per- 
sonality, and yet his chief interest did not lie in the 
historical situation in which Jacob played a part, but 
in the description of Jacob as a spiritual type, a nature 
rescued by wholesome discipline from its lower self 
and aided to struggle up to self-mastery and power. 



1 6 Historical and Expository Notes 

It has been frequently noted that the portrait of Ja- 
cob thus produced is a lifelike personification of the 
typical son of Israel, only heightened by the incidental 
contrast with the portraiture of Esau. Both in the 
qualities which repel us and in the nobler gifts of which 
he gave ample evidence, he represents the race. Hence 
Cornill, who recognizes Abraham as a "strictly his- 
torical personage," regards "Edom and Israel" as "only 
personifications and representatives of the races whose 
names they bear." But sober scholarship holds to the 
historicity of the broad outlines of these sketches, while 
conceding freely that their writers so filled in these out- 
lines supplied by tradition as to present forcibly and in- 
structively the religious value of each personality, and 
his embodiment of the racial ideals. It is of the first im- 
portance that a reader of the Old Testament should 
see the propriety and significance of such a use of tra- 
ditional data. It converts mere memoranda into in- 
spiring and stimulating narratives; it enables facts to 
preach. 

Jacob is drawn to the life. With no other portrait 
in Scripture, unless it be that of Peter, do we feel more 
at home. From few others do we derive as much help. 
Jacob's selfishness, shrewdness, cunning and deceitful- 
ness were but the earlier manifestations of a nature of 
great native force wholly absorbed in itself. There are 
many such men to-day, and they are not beyond reclama- 
tion. 

Light on Early Conditions. 

The story of Jacob up to his experience at Beth-el is 
full of interesting reminders of the social and religious 
ideas of that early age. The inviolability of the bless- 
ing once secured, even fraudulently, the importance 
ascribed to thp birthright of the firstborn son, the be- 
lief that where the heavenly vision had been seen God 
would appear most readily again and the impulse to set 
up a rude memorial stone — all take the reader back 
to the days of simplicity. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson .4 17 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Jacob's Character a Perplexing Problem. 

There is much to perplex us in the story of Jacob's 
life. He stands forth in those first years as the antithe- 
sis of Abraham. Indeed, there is more to remind us 
of Lot in his selfishness than of the founder of Israel 
in his faith. It is impossible in the early stages of Ja- 
cob's career to discover the "absolute loyalty" upon 
which God alone could make a great na- 
tion, and through which to bless all the 
families of the earth. The man stands out ap- 
parently destitute of the faith which expresses itself 
in ability to wait, and determination to obey. He was 
consumed by the meanest ambitions, and a stranger to 
brotherly love. 

The faithfulness of God, however, cannot suffer 
change by the faithlessness of man; and the story of 
Jacob's life emphasizes Jehovah's faithfulness to His 
covenant with Abraham. God's word cannot be broken, 
and His purpose cannot be changed; but ungodly 
schemes, like the hope of the ungodly, must perish. 
This story vindicates this truth. God is not compro- 
mised. He cannot be mocked. He works; and who 
can prevent? 

Speaking in purely human terms, we should say that 
in the two sons of Isaac, the Almighty was face to face 
with a terrible difficulty. Neither of them was in him- 
self admirable or trustworthy. Of the two, Jehovah 
chose Jacob. The reason for this choice lay in the Di- 
vine foreknowledge of the character of these two men. 
In that knowledge, not only are their present charac- 
teristics measured, but their possible developments ; and 
when put into contrast with each other, notwithstand- 
ing all the meanness of Jacob, there can be no question 
of his superiority to Esau, concerning whom the New 
Testament in one flaming characterization tells the 
whole story: that "profane person" (Heb. 12:16). 



i£ Historical and Expository Notes 

This much needs to he said, but no more, as our sub* 
ject is not a comparison of the men, but a considera- 
tion of Jacob. 

Jacob's Dishonorable Treatment of Esau. 

The present lesson, dealing as it does with his dis- 
honorable treatment of Esau, reveals the character of 
the man with great clearness. He believed in God, and 
in the Divine purpose of blessing. He moreover ac- 
cepted the Divine method of separating a people from 
the corrupt nations, and did not violate the covenant 
by intermarriage with such as did Esau. 

His confidence, however, was not that of the simple 
and obedient trust of Abraham. Jacob acted as though 
it were necessary for him by diplomacy and duplicity 
to help forward the Divine purpose of blessing. He 
was a great opportunist, and with his eye fixed on, and 
his heart desiring, the issues in harmony with the de- 
clared purpose of Jehovah, he attempted by cunning 
and policy to hasten results. 

While the animalized character of Esau is revealed 
in his willingness to sell a birthright for the satisfac- 
tion of his hunger, Jacob's meanness flashes out in his 
being willing to take advantage of this very degrada- 
tion of his brother to obtain it. 

Again, later he adopted, in counsel with his mother, 
methods that controverted the whole genius of godli- 
ness, in the deceit he practised upon his father to ob- 
tain possession of his blessing. The story stands un- 
paralleled for duplicity. Motherhood and brotherhood 
were dishonored, and the anger of Esau justly kindled. 

We should ever be careful to notice that these meth- 
ods did not help forward, but rather hindered and re- 
tarded, the fulfilment of the Divine purpose. An ex- 
ile from home for at least twenty years with all the bit- 
ter experiences of a distant land, was the harvest which 
he reaped. 

When man in self-centred pride thinks that he is 
equal to helping forward the purposes of God, he is 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 4- *9 

ever preparing for himself experiences of sorrow and 
pain, and postponing rather than hastening the accom- 
plishment of Divine purpose. 
God's Way the Best Way. 

Man cannot force the hand of God. There is no 
short cut to the attainment of Jehovah's purpose that 
man can discover. God's way, however dark, is best. 
Many bear witness that however dark the path ordered 
by the Lord may seem to be, it is bright compared with 
that into which pride leads astray. There is need for 
the prayer, "Thy way, not mine, Lord." 

God's appearance to Jacob on his way to the land of 
Laban is a radiant revelation of the Divine faithful- 
ness and determination to fulfil His purpose in spite 
of all human failure. What God means to do> comes 
to pass. 

In this we find consolation. Our hope in the promise 
of blessing and faith in the purpose of the Lord are 
maintained not by our own strength and fidelity, but 
by the fact that He cannot fail, for His word abideth 
forever. 



20 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 5. JACOB'S RETURN TO CANAAN. His 
Changed Character. Scripture Section, Gen. chs. 

29 — 33, 35 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
The Real Jacob. 

The story of Jacob, as we have it handed down, is a 
skilful emphasis of the Divine method of discipline in 
case of a richly endowed and promising, yet untrained 
and misdirected, personality. It requires no depth of 
insight to see the relative value of a J acob as contrasted 
with the fickle, short-sighted, unpractical Esau, far as 
our sympathies carry us in the latter's favor. Nor do 
we regret the incidental lessons in sharp practice ad- 
ministered to the crafty Laban by one far more clever 
than he. The writer's sympathies were with Jacob, yet 
rather with Jacob who emerged after discipline into a 
nobler type of life, guided by a richer sense of subor- 
dination to God, than with the cunning, resourceful, 
audacious man who lived by his wit. He shows us with 
a few bold strokes how the larger, broader life came to 
be. 
His Struggle With God. 

The story of the wrestling at Peniel must always be 
a puzzle to the reader who demands a literal explana- 
tion of each detail. That this mysterious experience 
by night on the river bank alone marked the turning- 
point in Jacob's career has often been noted. That 
it was in actual fact a struggle of his soul with God, 
to whom he finally submitted, is the outstanding truth. 
It has historical significance in a sense not often men- 
tioned. What other writer than a Hebrew would have 
dared to portray in this bold fashion a struggle between 
the Almighty and a man. Just because the Hebrew had 
grasped the relationship between God and man as one 
of co-operation and mutual freedom, he could picture 
a man as fighting with God in a struggle which was 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 5 21 

not altogether ludicrous, since God would be reluctant 
to use his unquestionable power. 
The Details of His Life With Laban. 

The story of Jacob's discipline is crowded with de- 
tails of archaeological interest. The boundary covenant 
and the stone or cairn which commemorated it, find fre- 
quent illustration in ancient records. Landmarks were sa- 
cred and protected by Divine sanctions even in the case of 
neighboring farms or villages. Even in Babylonia, where 
written deeds were as common as among us to-day, this 
visible token of property limits was in almost univer- 
sal use. As regards the incidents of Jacob's marriages 
and years of service as a shepherd, missionaries from 
the Levant often comment upon the curious faithful- 
ness to the customs of Bedouin life which the narra- 
tives exhibit. The prejudices, conventions, speech, hab- 
its, manners— all are to the life — and show that the 
writers had every intention of sketching, with accu- 
racy and sympathy, a set of real personalities. Jacob's 
relationship gave him a welcome, but did not protect 
him from sharp dealing. His marriage with Leah, once 
accomplished, could not be repudiated, yet did not hin- 
der his pursuit of Rachel. Being without the means of 
giving their father an adequate bride-price, Jacob pro- 
posed to work it out as a servant without other wages 
than his support. He could not detect the trick of sub- 
stitution because of the custom of closely veiling the 
bride, who was, in all probability, even in the case of 
Leah, only a young girl. The names of the children 
were expressive of the events or ideas connected with 
their birth and might have been altered, on similar oc- 
casion, in later life, as readily as his own. A name in 
the East has significance rather than stability. It is 
likely to have some sort of meaning. 
The Twelve Tribes. 

In recent years a question has been raised regarding 
the purpose of the writer in describing the birth and 
actions of the twelve sons and one daughter of Jacob 



22 Historical and Expository Notes 

from his two wives and two concubines. Some regard 
the story as historical and conclude that these sons were 
ancestors of the tribes which were called by their names. 
Others, dwelling upon the unquestionable personifica- 
tion in Genesis, here and there, of tribes and nations 
(ch. 10), interpret this family history as a vivid way 
of describing, in Oriental fashion, the gradual aggrega- 
tion into one body of the clans which historically be- 
came known as sons of Israel. The problem is not read- 
ily solvable, nor is it of fundamental importance to de- 
termine the exact boundary line between fact and figure. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mom. 
Jacob in Haran. 

There is no doubt truth in the statement that envi- 
ronment has much to do with the formation of charac- 
ter. It is equally true that a man's character is not 
changed merely by the change of environment. Jacob 
at Haran was the same man who, as a fugitive, fled 
from Canaan. We see the same characteristics mani- 
festing themselves in his dealings with Laban. It is 
not place, but grace, which enables a man to say "old 
things are passed away." 

Yet again if we simply contrast the two men, Jacob 
and Laban, Jacob is certainly the superior character. 
Laban is a type of the mean man who will take advan- 
tage of godliness in others for increasing his own ma- 
terial wealth. 

Whatever we may think of Jacob's godliness, there 
is a sub-consciousness of God's purpose restraining and 
constraining him. He never loses sight of the hope of 
the covenant of God, for his sin is not unbelief in the 
attainment of that promise, but impatient, imprudent 
efforts to force the fulfilment. Consequently Laban 
takes advantage of his convictions and makes them 
serve his own purpose. 

Through all the long years of exile, Jacob is seen as 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 5 23 

the man keen, shrewd, astute, managing everything, 
pressing contradictory circumstances into his service, 
determined to overcome in the sheer strength of his 
own capacity for manipulating events. Magnificent as 
this quality of character may be, it has its limitations. 
It cannot work the miracles of faith, hence it knows 
nothing of the experience which goes from strength to 
strength. Jacob under any circumstances God-ordained, 
would have found undisturbed peace; but with all his 
determination of character, peace was a stranger to his 
soul. 

Jacob Facing His Past History. 

At last, tired with the conditions of his service, he 
breaks from Laban, and starts back for his own coun- 
try. And now the old difficulties confront him. What 
memories are awakened! The mean mistakes of the 
past come up before him, and he realizes that the su- 
preme difficulty in the way of his entering into that 
which is God's purpose for him, is one which 
was created by his attempt to ensure to him- 
self the blessing designed for him. Esau 
stands out in his vision threatening revenge; and 
the anger of that brother, robbed of his father's bless- 
ing, sends disturbing fears to Jacob's soul. Eead the 
preparation which Jacob makes for the meeting of 
Esau. He "was greatly afraid and distressed." He 
begins to understand his own limitations, and the dis- 
covery inspires the prayer, "0 God of my father Abra- 
ham, and God of my father Isaac. . . . Deliver me, 
I pray thee, from the hand of my brother. . . . for I 
fear him." And then as a last resort he spends the 
night alone. 

Jacob at Peniel. 

We have no clear statement as to the reason obtaining 
in the mind of Jacob for his staying behind by the 
brook, but it is more than probable that he remained 
for meditation and prayer. He was baffled. His own 



24 Historical and Expository Notes 

strength of character failed to sustain him, and pos- 
sibly remembering God's deliverance from Laban's 
anger, he sought the power "mighty to save." 

It is now that God in the person of the supernatural 
visitor, takes hold of him, and finally teaches him his 
own weakness by overcoming him in physical conflict. 
It is an utterly erroneous idea to suppose that Jacob 
overcame at the brook, as he had done elsewhere, by 
the sheer force of will and character. It was at the 
moment when, conscious of defeat, and when the hard 
determined man was melted to tears, and cried out in 
sobs, that he reached the point of victory. The prophet 
Hosea gives us the key to the situation (Hosea 12 : 4). 

Faith in God which yet is so weak as to express it- 
self in self-confidence, gains no victories, and procures 
no blessings. But for the final fulfilment of Divine 
purposes, God has to take hold of a man in such con- 
dition, and by crippling him, break down his self-con- 
fidence, that his dependence may be wholly upon Him- 
self. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 6 25 

Lesson 6. JOSEPH THE FAVORITE SON. The Jealousy 
of His Brethren. Scripture Section, Gen. cfos. 37, 39 

I. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
Joseph, a Universal Type. 

Long ago it was pointed out by Professor Dods that 
the personality ascribed to Joseph is the most broadly 
representative one portrayed in the book of Genesis, 
combining the strong and characteristic qualities of 
each of his great predecessors into one forceful and har- 
monious whole. If Jacob was a typical Israelite, Jo- 
seph may fairly be said to illustrate the broader ideals 
which represent humanity. His biographer rejoiced to 
point out the fact that Joseph was as true a success in 
Egypt among a strange people and made his influence 
felt as far as could have been the case among his own 
kindred. This breadth of type accounts for the many 
points of view from which the story of Joseph is sug- 
gestive of that One who fully exhibited humanity's true 
and permanent possibilities. 

Men who attain to the most complete development in 
manhood are often less balanced in their youth. The 
very qualities which become of sterling value when duly 
checked and balanced by other strong tendencies seem 
otherwise when exercised alone. The "absolute self-mas- 
tery and confidence, born of shrewd insight and of a 
sense of power, which was essential to Joseph the ruler 
of Egypt, must have seemed exasperating and presump- 
tuous in Joseph, the youngest lad of a large family, 
who calmly recounted visions of his own supremacy over 
them all. It is not strange that his brothers harbored 
a spirit of jealous hatred. He was quite out of the 
usual run of personalities. 

His Period Wei! Known. 

With the times of Joseph one approaches more close- 
ly to a well-known historical period, the details of 
which are fairly at command. No one, it is true, can 



26 Historical and Expository Notes 

exactly identify the meagre and very general data of 
the story of Joseph with any particular reign in Egypt, 
yet the general historical conditions with which they 
are in consonance can be located. While Egypt was 
always a place of refuge, after a fashion, for nomadic 
peoples in distress, such a rise into power as Joseph ex- 
perienced would be much more probable in the days of 
the Hyksos than under the pure Egyptian dynasties 
which preceded and followed them. 

With the traditions which describe a residence in 
Egypt one approaches also a firmer standing-ground for 
the beginnings of Israelitish history. It is agreed by 
the vast majority of students that a reasonable explana- 
tion of these persistent and distinctive traditions estab- 
lishes the residence in Egypt not only of the "children 
of Joseph," but of the representative body of Israelites. 
Eecent discoveries seem to prove that some of the peo- 
ple afterward known as Israelites were living during 
this time in Canaan, but such discoveries merely indi- 
cate that the Biblical narrator made no attempt to give 
the minutely detailed history of the Israelitish nation, 
but rather drew attention to its most important devel- 
opments. This principle of selection of material for a 
certain purpose is an exceedingly important one. It is 
the method of the Bible, and explains much that is 
otherwise almost inexplicable. 

Three Pertinent Facts. 

That it was easy and customary for the inhabitants 
of Canaan and the South to drift into Egypt, the pic- 
torial records on Egyptian tombs and the clever tales 
in Egyptian records give witness. Not infrequently a 
group of tribesmen passed over in times of stress to 
remain until they bettered, being granted the privilege 
either under regularly understood conditions or by ob- 
taining the favor of the governor of the border district. 
All roads led toward the Nile. 

No unimportant reason for this was the steady stream 
of caravan traffic southward through Canaan from the 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 6 27 

regions beyond the Euphrates or straight across the 
desert from the regions east and south of the gulf of 
Aqabah. As far back as historical records run, these 
roads were traveled by the hardy and adventurous trad- 
ers, who formed the living links between the dominant 
civilization of that early age. These traders were never 
unwilling to turn an honest penny by an unforeseen 
speculation of the beginnings of which they would not 
be over curious. 

Joseph's misfortune was in large part due to his in- 
judicious recounting of his dreams. One broad differ- 
ence between antiquity and to-day is the deference which 
in earlier times was paid to dreams. The wisest and 
most conservative among men attached great signifi- 
cance to them, and dwelt upon their minutest detail. 
To ignore them seemed irreligious. Joseph's brethren 
did not laugh him down, but were filled with bitter 
envy at the future unveiled before him. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Joseph, the Favorite Son. 

This lesson bristles with possibilities of application. 
One might dwell on the fondness and the folly of Ja- 
cob's favoritism ; or on the evil and envy of his sons ; or 
yet again on the innocence and ingenuousness of Joseph. 

The subjects of supreme importance, however, are: 
First, that of the wonderful overruling of God in the 
history of this man ; and secondly, that of the fitness of 
the man for the purposes of God. 

God's Overruling Providence. 

With regard to the first subject, the lesson is not 
complete in itself, subsequent ones being necessary to 
show the ultimate meaning of all that is here chron- 
icled. To look ahead for one moment, the history of 
Joseph ends with the settlement of the nation in com- 
fort and security in the land of Goshen. There can be 
very little doubt that towards that end God was mov- 



28 Historical and Expository Notes 

ing. Already there were signs of the danger of the 
chosen nation losing its note of separateness by mixture 
with all the evil existing in Canaan. In order that they 
might be preserved from such admixture, they were 
removed from Canaan, and spent long years in a coun- 
try where they were guarded from admixture by the 
very severity of the caste system of the Egyptians. 

In this lesson we have the first links in the great chain 
of Divine procedure. It is but to state them in sequence 
to see how they are moving toward the consummation. 
Joseph is born of Rachel, therefore he is specially loved 
by his father. On account of this he is envied by the 
sons of Leah. The outcome of this is his selling into 
slavery. He finds his way into Potiphar's house. There 
he has to meet with subtle temptation, and at the close 
of this lesson we find him in prison. Notice how 
through natural sequence — Jacob's love for Joseph; the 
evil passions in the heart of his brethren; and by un- 
likely coincidences, his arrival at the house of Potiphar ; 
and through fierce temptation, and by the way of ca- 
lamity, his casting into prison — God is moving slowly 
but surely onward toward the fulfilment of His purpose. 

Happy are we when we are able to rest in the assur- 
ance that over all and through all possible contingencies 
and circumstances, God moves at the impulse of love 
toward the accomplishment of some high purpose. 

Joseph's Fitness for His Work. 

With regard to the second subject, that of the man 
around whom the Divine action centred for the realiza- 
tion of purpose, notice how he was fitted by tempera- 
ment and character, prepared by suffering and tempta- 
tion, sustained by the Divine presence. 

Temperament, (a) Visionary. The mystic quality 
which gave him visions and enabled him to interpret 
them. 

(b) Ingenuous. Candid in speech, a hater of dissimu- 
lation. Noble in his intense love of integrity. 

(c) Tactful. All his ability as a statesman. Hia 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 29 

management in office, and his dealing with his brethren. 

Character, (a) Clean. Strong in purity. No guilty 
defilement of conscience. Walking continually in the 
light. 

(&) Honest. With scrupulous care discharging the 
duties of those whom he served. Faithful to men, be- 
cause faithful to God. 

(c) Determined. No weakling, but vigorous and 
strong. Understanding God's purpose in his life, his 
ideal never vanishes ; he presses forward toward the goal. 

Thus fitted by temperament and character Joseph is 
prepared for the Divine purpose by suffering and temp- 
tation. 

The hatred of his brethren — slavery and exile — the 
influences of Egypt, with its heathen atmosphere, the 
subtle temptations of Potiphar's house, misrepresenta- 
tions and slanderous charges, degradation inflicted, and 
imprisonment — these were the steps along the path of 
preparation. But in the darkest of his experiences he 
was sustained by the Divine presence. "The Lord was 
with Joseph" (Gen. 39 :2). 

Is it not always so? The pure in heart see the vision 
of visions, hear unspeakable words, suffer persecutions, 
are tempted and tried ; but ages vindicate the truth that 
"underneath are the everlasting arms." Let us learn 
the lesson that — 

God chooses fit men. 
God fits chosen men. 

With these qualities the purposes of God are fulfilled 
in us. 



30 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 7 JOSEPH THE INTERPRETER OF DREAMS. 
The Beginning of His Greatness. Scripture Section, 
Gen. 40: 1 — 41: 36 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
Slavery in Egypt. 

That a slave boy of foreign birth should attain a po- 
sition of responsibility and authority in the household 
of an Egyptian of exalted rank would occasion no sur- 
prise even in the Egypt of to-day. In such a country 
as ancient Egypt, where the sale of captives taken in 
war was a common occurrence, the enslavement of men 
of great capacity and of good blood was quite possible. 
Such men, if not embittered by their sad misfortune to 
the point of hopelessness, soon found places of relative 
usefulness. The sting of slavery lay in the absolute 
control of the owner. He could pamper or torment; 
he could take life or make it, according to his humor. 
Under humane and thoughtful masters the lot of the 
slave was no worse than that of the average man, yet 
the despotic power of the owner made possible such a 
sudden reversal of status as that which befell Joseph, 
and thus fed the longing of every slave for freedom. 

The Pharaoh's Despotic Power. 

The social and political theory at the root of early 
development regarded the god as the owner and lord of 
the land wherein he was worshipped, and accepted the 
king, his vicegerent, as the one who exercised this ab- 
solute authority. The persons, the property, and the 
lives of his subjects were at the king's disposal. He 
governed on the assumption that his will was national 
law and his pleasure national success. To awaken his 
wrath was to deserve a speedy death. The sudden deg- 
radation of the royal officers, one of them, the cup- 
bearer, being, probably, the king's intimate and trusted 
associate, and the equally sudden disposal of their cases, 
one being restored to all his former dignities, the other 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 7 31 

summarily executed, were incidents only too common 
under that system of absolutism. 

Joseph's Capableness. 

Joseph's opportunity came to him by reason of his 
skill as an interpreter of dreams, but he grasped it by 
exhibiting an intelligent mastery of the situation re- 
vealed by them and proposing a practicable scheme for 
meeting the emergency. Two more effective reasons for 
rapid advancement antiquity could hardly furnish. 
They proved Joseph to be the sort of exceptional man 
for whom a despot is always on the lookout. He had 
the gift of insight and was shrewd and clever as well. 
The monuments of Egypt give evidence that the rise of 
foreigners to positions of political distinction was en- 
tirely possible, and almost always for some such reason. 

The Pharaoh Who Exalted Joseph. 

In trying to determine the date of these events one 
is confronted by a double difficulty. The story of Jo- 
seph is a genuine story of the highest class, and conse- 
quently particularity in historical detail is subordinated 
to dramatic or literary values. The author's purpose 
was to brng out in relief the character of Joseph and to 
profoundly interest his readers in the remarkable fulfil- 
ment of his early premonitions. Again, the Joseph 
story seems to be a unit by itself, and to have assumed 
literary form centuries after the occurrence of the facts. 
The data for determining the dynasty under which Jo- 
seph came to power are very indeterminate. They hard- 
ly justify Sayce's downright assertion that the Egypt 
of our narrative is that of the Hyksos. The customs 
described are too universal to identify any specific age. 

It has, however, often been urged that, under the 
new empire, at least, which followed the expulsion of 
the Hyksos, the hatred for foreigners from the East 
was so intense that such an elevation as that which Jo- 
seph experienced would be very unlikely, while, on the 
other hand, his quick acceptance by a Hyksos sovereign 



32 Historical and Expository Notes 

would Be easy and natural. This argument has real 
historical value. The Hyksos were Asiatic invaders 
who held possession of Egypt, according to Manetho, 
for about five hundred years. They quickly became to 
all intents and purposes Egyptianized. Yet, as Maspero 
suggests, they need not have lost completely either their 
own language or the knowledge of their real extraction. 
More than once would the gates of the royal palace have 
opened to Asiatic counsellors and favorites. A com- 
paratively ancient tradition identifies the Pharaoh of 
Joseph with Apophis, one of the later Hyksos kings. 
This is based, however, not upon Egyptian data, but 
upon a series of calculations founded on Biblical data. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Joseph, the Interpreter of Dreams. 

Our present lesson moves forward along the same 
lines as the former one. Again we see the importance 
of character as affording opportunity for the revelation 
of divine interest in human affairs. In this story of 
Joseph's interpretation of dreams we see the overruling 
of God, and the man ready to His hand. Prepared men 
always demonstrate God to the world. Through them 
vision is given to the multitude, and explanations of 
events come, which prove that the Lord reigneth. Amid 
the confusion of conflicting experiences, life becomes 
to many an impenetrable mystery. The world owes 
much to the prepared man whose faith reveals the Di- 
vine purpose, and inspires confidence in the goodness of 
the Lord. 

How wondrous is God in the methods of His going! 
There is no avenue of human life through which He 
cannot enter to arrest attention and to communicate a 
purpose. 

Here we see Him making use of dreams, and thus 
entering a realm which even until this hour of scientific 
progress, is full of mystery to the mind of man. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 7 33 

There need be no time taken to debate the question 
as to whether these dreams were of God. Belief in God 
is belief in the possibility of His using dreams. The 
common experiences of man that dreams have in all hu- 
man history so often influenced him, renders it prob- 
able also that God may speak thus. Surely Elihu was 
right when he said: 

"God speaketh once, 
Yea, twice, though man regardeth it not, 
In a dream, in a vision of the night, 
When deep sleep falleth upon men, 
In slumberings upon the bed." 

In these movements of God there is absolutely no re- 
spect of persons, for prisoners and a Pharaoh alike are 
troubled by dreams that the purposes of the Most High 
may move forward. 

It is, however, important to remember that these men 
are not the men who understand the meaning of the 
Divine movements. God constantly speaks and men 
are troubled. Unrest and wonder fill their souls, but 
they have no explanation with which to solve the mys- 
tery. The prepared man must put into human speech 
the purposes of the Almighty, and reveal to us the con- 
tinuity of the Divine guidance. In this character Jo- 
seph served Egypt. In this light he stands forth before 
all ages. 

Taking up the lines noticed in the last lesson, we 
have here still others to add to them. The man in prison 
finds favor; he is put in charge of the butler and the 
baker, who are directly associated with the court. In 
this arrangement Joseph had again the evidence that 
the Lord was with him. Personal experience of that 
presence must voice God's nearness to man, otherwise 
pronouncements carry no inspiration. They lack the 
ring of "I know/' The charm of Joseph's life is seen 
in his immovable consciousness of the abiding presence. 
The charge of Pharaoh's prisoners was to him a Divine 



34 Historical and Expository Notes 

appointment, and made possible the interpretation of 
their dreams. 

Yet notice how long a time elapses before the next 
providential movement. Two years of waiting in prison 
before Pharaoh's dream was the sound of the moving 
again of the wheels of the chariot of God. 

From these things we learn how sure and perfectly 
adjusted are all the dispensations of Providence; and 
yet also learn that it is our wisdom to wait quietly, for 
there is ofttimes an element of delay, which we cannot 
understand, but becoming restless under which we may 
fail to make connection. "My Lord delayeth His com- 
ing" is the cry of collapse. 

Turning to the man fitted for Divine use, we see him 
first triumphing over circumstances in faith, winning 
favor in prison, living in such personal relation to God 
as to be able to interpret dreams. Yet note carefully 
that he emphatically attributes to God the honor of 
these revelations. And finally when standing before 
Pharaoh we see a man so independent of men in his 
dependence upon God as to be ready to offer counsel to 
the king, even though he be but a prisoner. 

The lessons are obvious and valuable. Faith triumphs 
over all adverse circumstances, ignoring them in the 
deeper consciousness of the government of God. Thus 
faith catches the forces which contribute to the making 
of life and does the will of God. 

Contrast the faithfulness of God with man's forget- 
fulness. "The butler forgat Joseph." God remembered 
His servant. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 8 35 

Lesson 8. JOSEPH THE PRIME MINISTER. His 
Exaltation in Egypt. Scripture Section, Gen. 41; 
37—42: 38 

1. Historical Notes 

By Deaa Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
Joseph's Exaltation. 

It was a startling transformation from Joseph, the 
trusted slave in the prison, to Joseph, the great lord, 
the second in authority in the land of Egypt, but such 
dramatic reversals of fortune are not infrequent in 
countries where the will of the sovereign is his subjects' 
law. Joseph's good fortune was due to no accident ex- 
cept that of opportunity. It was his remarkable powers 
of interpretation, supported by the valuable qualities of 
foresight, sagacity, decision and fertility of resource, 
and commended by a very attractive personality that 
won for him his honors. The last mentioned asset was 
not the least in value. Like David and Nehemiah after 
him, the personal charm of Joseph helped him to gain 
a standing with those in power. 

Probably no class of people ever lived who 
were more proud and exclusive, more jealous 
of their privileges, more scrupulous along fixed 
lines than the Egyptian nobility. It was not 
enough that Joseph should be invested with the royal 
signet ring and be clothed in choice garments, such as 
men of rank were accustomed to wear, and be decorated 
with a golden collar, and honored by titles and digni- 
ties; his name was changed to one of Egyptian form, 
and by marriage he was introduced into a priestly fam- 
ily, thus becoming a legitimatized member of the aris- 
tocracy of Egypt. Such an adoption was not infrequent, 
but it took place most readily and naturally in the case 
of a captive of good blood and breeding, who was one 
of nature's noblemen. 

The Famine. 

The crisis which established Joseph's authority and 
influence was a long-continued famine. In a country 



36 Historical and Expository Notes 

so dependent as Egypt upon the annual overflow of its 
great river, a single failure of the fertilizing and sat- 
urating flood brought about a failure of the crops for 
that year. A series of such failures is extraordinary, 
yet the Egyptian records show that famines of several 
years' duration have taken place. 

It does not become a fair interpreter of the story of 
Joseph to lay too much stress upon its details. The ex- 
tension of the famine to Canaan affords a sufficient rea- 
son for the coming of the deputation to Egypt to buy 
provision from the great lord in charge of the royal 
granaries. The narrative, however, suggests to the read- 
er that ten men came together, each with one sack, 
which he took back to Canaan laden with grain, borne 
by an ass. These ten sacks contained the provender for 
the pack animals (42 : 27), as well as the means of sub- 
sistence for the tribe. These details of course cannot 
have been literally exact. With the brethren would have 
come a small caravan, each man in charge of several 
animals and aided by attendants. The art of the writer 
draws attention away from such minor details to the 
direct association of the ten brethren with Joseph. He 
and they are isolated from all other actors, and made 
to occupy the foreground. 

The Charge Against the Brethren. 

When ushered into the presence of the dread lord of 
the granaries the brethren heard themselves accused 
as spies and enemies. It was not an absurd charge. 
The northeast border of Egypt was ever a danger line, 
closely guarded by the authorities. Even within the 
proper confines of the empire there was constant need 
of watchfulness, since the Hyksos kings were never al- 
lowed to become unconscious of the hostile attitude of 
the native kings who held their own in the extreme 
south, remaining quiescent or combative as wisdom 
might direct, but always watchful. Under conditions 
such as these, a conscientious, unprejudiced, clear-head- 
ed officer of administrative capacity was a Godsend. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 8 37 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., NorthfieJd, Mass. 
Joseph, the Prime Minister. 

We have seen a man of faith in probation and in 
prison. Now we see him in power. In each condition 
we observe the thoroughness of his steadfastness. No 
fluctuations of confidence in adversity, no unseemly 
boasting in prosperity, he stands apparently unchanged, 
ready for every emergency, willing for any service. 
Much that is called faith lacks responsiveness except 
for agreeable enterprises, and consequently misses the 
opportunities which give fullest scope for manifesting 
strength. The principles of life are not altered by the 
alteration of circumstances. The overruling God is 
seen in the decision of Pharaoh to set Joseph in author- 
ity, and in the famine and its effect of bringing the sons 
of Jacob to Egypt. In the final analysis of life, all 
men and movements are answering the Divine will. 
Happy indeed are those who know the will and do it 
of choice. 

Joseph is only about thirty years of age now, and in 
all the enthusiasm and virility of youthful manhood, 
we have remarkable illustration of the steadying and 
strengthening effect of faith upon such a character. 

In him we see the man of faith as a practical man. 
His manipulation of the resources of the seven fruitful 
years is worthy of careful study. Faith does not sit idly 
down and pray to heaven for plenteous harvest. It 
ploughs, and sows, and gathers, and garners. Faith per- 
mits the exercise of common sense, not only permits it, 
but demands it ; discovers to a man what he ought to be, 
as well as reveals what God is. Both discoveries are 
essential to practical manhood, otherwise we caricature 
faith by our unreasonableness. Faith is the inspira- 
tion of reason. 

Then, moreover, he is a patient man. Notice care- 
fully his dealings with his brethren. What an oppor- 
tunity has now come to him to punish them for the bru- 



38 Historical and Expository Notes 

tality of their early dealing with him ! The man of faith 
has no need to take into his own hands any such matters. 
"I will repay/' saith the Lord, and this precludes faith 
from attempting the task, and God's repayment always 
does what man cannot accomplish. He turns the curse 
into a blessing, and uses opposition to further that 
which men intended to prevent. Viewing life from 
highest standpoints, Joseph recognizes that out of their 
brutality God has evolved benedictions, and consequent- 
ly he can afford in the greatness of the triumph of faith, 
to be patient and kindly with the men who sold him, 
actuated by motives of the supremest selfishness and lit- 
tleness. "Fret not thyself because of evil men." "Trust 
in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." 

And yet again the man of faith is seen as a faithful 
man. At last he reaches the throne. Only Pharaoh is 
exempt from submission to his will and authority in all 
the vast land. And yet in the actualities of the case 
not even Pharaoh is omitted, for had not this man, liv- 
ing in harmony with God, undertaken the management 
of affairs, the Pharaoh himself had died of hunger as 
the meanest serf in his empire. The men of faith must 
eventually come to the throne of power because they 
live in relation to the one Throne. Do justly thy du- 
ties of to-day, no matter where cast, and the Just One 
shall say, "Because thou hast been faithful over a few 
things, I will make thee ruler over many things." Eeal- 
ize the obligations of fidelity, and God will vindicate 
His promises. 

Joseph's Brethren and Father. 

This lesson contains sidelights in the picture of Jo- 
seph's brethren and his father. Conscience has its 
awakening sooner or later. And yet these men are false 
enough still to try to act a lie to hide the sin of the past. 
Yet notice how all unconsciously they blurted out a 
condemnatory truth when they said, "We are twelve 
brethren." Sin is never as astute as it should be. It 
must account for those twelve brethren. Joseph is the 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 9 39 

true revelation of the power of faith at this period, and 
not Jacob. His wail, "All these things are against me," 
is utterly unworthy of faith. In the man that governs 
Egypt, exalted from prison to the throne, we see the 
sublimest manifestations of what a man can do by faith, 
and what God will do with a faithful man. 



Lesson 9. JOSEPH'S NOBLE SPIRIT SHOWN. His 
Generosity to His Brethren. Scripture Section, Gen. 
chs. 43=45 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
The Scriptural Value of the Story. 

The story of Joseph, like that of Kuth, affords an ad- 
mirable illustration at once of the freedom in method 
and of the dominant religious purpose of the Biblical 
historian. He was not writing parables or allegories, 
for he sought to convey certain reliable historical im- 
pressions; but he felt wholly free to individualize his 
facts for the sake of attaining a direct religious end. 
The story form in literature with its defmiteness, its 
appeal to the emotions, its stimulus to the constructive 
imagination, and its unending charm well suited his 
purpose, which was to demonstrate the ease with which 
God could achieve a series of blessings for His people 
through the loyal service of a truly noble, consecrated 
man. Joseph's character, particularly his reliability, 
genuine piety, magnanimity and many-sidedness is the 
key to the development of the story. 

The very advantages of the story form involve some 
departure from prosaic historical representation. A 
story is, of necessity, unbalanced, one-sided. It empha- 
sizes some details at the expense of others. What reader 



4° Historical and Expository Notes 

ever thought of Benjamin as other than a lad who need- 
ed the guardianship of his elder brothers, the "little 
one" (44: 20) of Jacob's old age, and did not discover, 
with a feeling akin to impatience, the fact that in 46 : 21 
he is described as the happy father of ten sons, all of 
whom followed him into Egypt! What reader fails to 
picture to himself a party of ten brethren, each with 
his ass and one large sack to be filled with grain ! That 
Benjamin was a mature man and that the brothers head- 
ed a caravan, the story nowhere denies, but its emphasis 
is not on details but on impressions. A less skillful 
narrator would have been more lavish of his details; 
this one made his narrative preach ! 

The verdict of many generations has determined the 
place of the story of Joseph in literature. For charm 
and vigor and vividness it is unsurpassed. It develops 
evenly, but reached a powerful climax. It concludes 
a remarkable specimen of eloquence in the touching ap- 
peal of Judah on behalf of his father and brother. It 
sets a literary standard which has not unjustly been 
used as a basis of comparison. 

The Practice of Divination. 

To not a few readers it seems strange that a man like 
Joseph, so genuine, noble and devout a personality, 
should practice divination. The query is a fair one, 
and yet assumes that the religious conscience of his day 
did not differ from our own. Divination was the process 
of determining the will of the Deity by some external 
manifestation. It assumed that God was ever ready 
with his answer to a question regarding the future. A 
judgment obtained by noting the peculiar flight of birds, 
or the adjustment of the viscera of a slaughtered ani- 
mal, or the pattern formed in water or oil when a peb- 
ble was dropped into a cup or kettle, differed in no vi- 
tal respect from the interpretation of a dream. Every 
one believed in omens and dreams. To make use of 
them was characteristic of a religiously minded man 
and perfectly natural for Joseph. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 9 41 

Characteristic Oriental Details. 

This part of the story incorporates several interesting 
details which are characteristically Oriental. The per- 
sonal habits ascribed to Joseph are those of an Egyptian 
aristocrat, one who had won the proud title of "a father 
to Pharaoh" (45 :8). Such an one was reserved in 
his contact with inferiors or strangers, but could show 
his approval by sending to them portions of the food 
which was set before him. No Oriental could grow so 
great as to forget his home and family. Once convinced 
that it was wise, his first thought would be to have his 
people with him, sharing in his good fortune. Pres- 
ents are a staple of social life among Oriental peoples. 
Their actual value must be proportioned to the means 
of the giver, but do not gauge the significance of the 
gift. Jacob's present to the supposed viceroy was as 
finely appropriate and acceptable as Joseph's present 
to his father (45 : 23). Each one did his best accord- 
ing to his resources. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfleld, Mass. 

This lesson gives us a beautiful and suggestive pic- 
ture of the man of faith in the midst of his greatest 
triumphs, for the triumph of loving beneficence is al- 
ways greater than that of the success of an enterprise 
merely. 

The survival of Joseph's fame is not due to the pros- 
perity which crowned his laborious career. Such ex- 
amples abound, but leave no deep, permanent impres- 
sion upon the hearts of men. Behind this natural oc- 
currence there is the supernatural — God controlling 
events, God controlling the man. It was the personal 
consciousness of this Divine government, which revealed 
itself in love, that keeps the fame of Joseph imperish- 
able throughout the ages. The realization of "God with 
us" adds to faith, patience, love. 

In examining let us notice: — 



4 3 Historical and Expository Notes 

1. Joseph's consciousness. 

2. Joseph's conduct. 

1. Joseph's Consciousness. This is manifested clear- 
ly in the words spoken to his brethren, "It was not you 
that sent me hither, but God." Behind their envy and 
plot he saw the overruling which made the wrath of 
man accomplish the Divine purpose. As these brethren 
bowed themselves down before him, the fulfilment of 
those early dreams which had caused so much heart- 
burning and trouble had commenced. As he had 
dreamed and declared, they were bending in his pres- 
ence and submitting themselves to his authority. 

It is at this point that the strength and beauty of 
Joseph's character breaks forth in suggestiveness of God. 
A smaller man, or rather a man actuated by other mo- 
tives such as personal ambition, would have retaliated, 
or at least have gloated over the fulfilment of his own 
predictions. The man of faith in God, however, saw 
the overruling of God, and in the light thereof read the 
history of the past. His elevation to power was not 
merely an evidence of Divine favor towards himself, 
nor was it that principally. It was a method in the de- 
termination of God to bless all of them. This being so, 
their very wickedness in selling him long ago, is set in 
the light of this same government of God, and is seen 
as pressed into the service of the larger purpose of love. 
As the purpose is being fulfilled, Joseph looks back with 
thankfulness upon his own suffering. "God sent me"; 
that explains all the circumstances of the past, and ac- 
counts for the present opportunity of helpfulness, and 
the heart of Joseph is filled with love and gladness. 

2. Joseph's Conduct. That is, of course, the natu- 
ral outcome of his consciousness. It is the conduct of 
splendid magnanimity truly, and yet to such a man, 
with such conceptions of the overruling of God, any 
other course would be utterly impossible. There are 
definite evidences of faith which prove the reality of 
its claim, and magnificently did Joseph demonstrate 



Old Testament Bio graphical Series, Lesson 9 43 

them. Even personal pride of the highest quality is 
gratified by the vindication of a life principle, and can 
do no other than act with the greatness of a great tri- 
umph. It is the man who is uncertain of himself, and 
insecure in his victory, who wants to complete his con- 
quest by vengeance and retaliation. Accepting all as 
in the plan of God, and seeing how that plan works out 
in blessing to all, his conduct of course harmonizes 
with the thought and intention of God, and he seems 
to get the deepest satisfaction in overwhelming these 
men with gifts and tokens of his good will. 

Lesson Deductions, 

1. Faith in God simplifies life by discovering the 
primary cause and enabling a man to live in the con- 
sciousness thereof. Paul never described himself as a 
prisoner of Eome, but always as the prisoner of Jesus 
Christ. What a glory this adds to life! The chain 
which Eome imposes is transformed into the golden 
bracelet of a great love token. "God sent me" makes 
all the pathway appear as the royal highway to a throne. 

2. The vindication of faith must come sooner or 
later. Some day you will help and bless those who curse 
you to-day. The fierceness of the fires will pass, but 
the lustre of the tried gold never. Let the course be 
set in the light of the consummation, the testing in re- 
lation to the triumph. Eemember Him "who for the 
joy . . . endured the cross." 

3. Man acting by faith with God, acts toward men 
like God in love. The magnanimity of a great love is 
the final vindication of faith. 



44 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 10. THE LAST DAY5 OF JOSEPH. The Descent 
of the Israelites into Egypt. Scripture Section, Gen. 
chs. 46-50 

1. Historical Notes 
By Deaa Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
The Pharaohs' Ownership of the Land. 

It is rather interesting to note that the Egyptian rec- 
ords confirm the fact that under the New Empire land- 
ed property in Egypt had passed out of the hands of the 
old aristocratic families into the almost complete pos- 
session of the crown or of the great temples, and that 
it was rented out by the royal officers at twenty per 
cent, of the produce. Before the days of the Hyksos 
the land was in the possession of private owners, usu- 
ally in the form of great landed estates. The change 
came as an incident of the rule of the Hyksos. Erman 
explains it by conjecturing that the new dynasty exter- 
minated the old landed families, who had preferred the 
foreigners as overlords and confiscated their property. 
The Biblical explanation is just as reasonable. Joseph 
is uniformly represented as a shrewd, far-sighted and 
high-handed executive, and it is in no way incredible 
that he should seize an opportunity to increase the 
power of the throne at the expense of its subjects. 
Democratic ideas had little standing in his day. 
The Land of Goshen. 

Not less shrewd was Joseph's management of the in- 
terests of his family. Transferred by him to a land of 
security and abundance, it was settled by him in a most 
congenial locality. The land of Goshen is commonly 
identified with the northeastern corner of Egypt. It 
is said to have been unaffected by the annual overflow 
of the Nile, and therefore to have been unavailable as 
farming land for the Egyptians, yet fertile enough to 
afford fair pasturage. It admirably suited these desert 
dwellers, to whom it was a paradise. While affording 
to them ample food and shelter, it served as a means 
of separation from Egyptian people. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 10 45 

Canaan the Real Home. 

The narrative affords interesting glimpses of the 
venerable Jacob. Grateful recognition of God's sus- 
taining care, a calm and reverent thoughtfulness, a far- 
sighted vision of the future, portray a transformed per- 
sonality, one at peace with God and wholly loyal to 
Him. 

Egypt was never his home. His thoughts dwelt up- 
on Canaan and the sepulchre of his fathers. It is char- 
acteristically Oriental that there he should demand to 
be buried. 

Honors to the Dead. 

That Jacob and Joseph were embalmed is a matter 
of course. Whether it was a matter of routine or a 
mark of distinction is not wholly clear. Probably the 
Israelites were free to adopt any method of burial. 

The procession which was organized to go up to Ca- 
naan with the mummy of Jacob was, without doubt, a 
signal mark of royal esteem and favor. So in all proba- 
bility would be the conveyances sent for Jacob's con- 
venient transportation to Egypt. That "wagons" or 
carts were known at that time is proven by the pictures 
drawn by Egyptian artists representing the Hittite mi- 
gration. The women, children and household goods 
are carried in rude two-wheeled carts. 

Jacob's Prediction. 

The actual poem of Genesis 49 is proven on close in- 
spection to be of considerably later date than the days 
of Jacob. This fact does not make it wholly imagina- 
tive, but only forces the conclusion that it underwent 
enlargement and revision. The poem in its present 
form represents not so much his exact words as their 
historical fulfilment. That in his closing days of life 
he called his sons about him and predicted the part 
which each should play in the days before them is not 
without historical parallel. We must conceive, how- 
ever, of its being kept, so to speak, up to date. 



46 Historical and Expository Notes 

Conclusion of the Story of Joseph. 

Thus the story of Joseph continues and strengthens 
the impression made by the earlier narratives. With- 
out being able to guarantee its minute accuracy, one 
can affirm its reasonable agreement with the historical 
conditions of the age as revealed by archaeological re- 
search. The details are too general to warrant dogmatic 
certainty regarding reigns or epochs. 

Whether Joseph survived the Hyksos and witnessed 
the beginnings of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the writer 
did not indicate. He stops abruptly with the peaceful 
ending of a brilliant career, the completion of an era of 
national development, and the hint of a preparation for 
a new departure. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfleld, Mas*. 

In this the last page of the life of Joseph there are 
still manifest those distinguishing traits which have 
characterized the whole history. Of course a consid- 
erable period of time is covered by the history of these 
live chapters, but they chronicle for us the last move- 
ments in that sequence which has clearly revealed the 
overruling of God through the life of a surrendered 
man. 

His wisdom, tenderness and faith are manifest in all 
these final scenes. Consistency marks the life's story 
and leaves the permanent message, that a man of faith 
under all conditions can honor God, and is honored by 
God. 

The sanity and common sense, which are supreme 
evidences of wisdom, are present in the frankness with 
which he introduces his father and his brethren to 
Pharaoh. Nothing could be more skilful in order to 
accomplish his purpose, which was the settlement of his 
people in a pastoral district, and in separation from 
Egypt. As he declared, the Egyptians hated shepherds, 
nomadic people, and so by the candid statement of the 
truth the precise results he desired were achieved. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 10 47 

A man who is honest simply because honesty is the 
best policy is often a rogue at heart, and sooner or later 
his honesty will break down. A man who is honest for 
honesty's sake will perpetually prove how good the pol- 
icy of straightness is, and that righteousness is indeed 
the nearest way to true success. 

Joseph's skill is wonderfully revealed in the way in 
which he served Pharaoh, and secured to him the ac- 
tual possession of the lands over which he reigned. The 
lesson is plain that although he will not sin to please 
those over him, he yet does not neglect the highest in- 
terests of his superiors, but serves them in integrity with 
conspicuous ability. Any man crossing the line of in- 
tegrity in his attempt to serve, sacrifices his own honor, 
and is disqualified for higher service. A clear con- 
science gives stimulus to activity, and develops capacity 
in well-doing. On such the benediction of God rests. 

Joseph's tender dealing with his father is very beau- 
tiful, and also with his brethren, whose conscience smote 
them again about past sin at the death of Jacob. When 
love forgives, it forgets. It does not recall the past in 
anger. It does not hold the wrongs of other days as 
a sword over the heads of offenders. The upright man 
who trusts God can always afford to be generous. Thus 
God deals with man. Love blots out the sins of yester- 
day, and will remember them no more. When the love 
of God is shed abroad in our hearts, we forgive as we 
are forgiven. 

Perhaps, however, the most interesting detail of this 
closing story in the life of Joseph is its revelation of 
the fact that residence and power in Egypt had not 
shaken his confidence in the purpose of God for His 
chosen people. His very choice of Goshen for them in 
order that they might be kept in separation from the 
Egyptians, is proof of this. Nothing dimmed his vis- 
ion of the divine promise to his fathers. Every move- 
ment in his career brought nearer the realization of 
that purpose. The taking of his boys to Israel for his 
blessing demonstrates this, and last, and most touching 



48 Historical and Expository Notes 

of all, his request that in the day of coming restoration 
to their land, his bones should be taken thither. 

This is a most fruitful life story. 

Its principle. Devotion to God in creed and charac- 
ter and conduct. Absolute harmony. Entire. 

Its achievements. Many and remarkable, and that 
without once lowering the standard of honor. 

Its experiences. Varied. From suffering to sover- 
eignty. From prison to throne. 

Its passing. A going out in quiet faith. The great 
purposes of God greeted from afar, and yet not real- 
ized. The grave does not limit the vision of faith. 
Hope sends its gleam of immortality through the gloom 
to the far off divine event. Content to take part in the 
process, and die in confidence as to the consummation, 
"we are to serve our day and generation." That done, 
we can leave in God's hands the accomplishment of the 
eternal purposes. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 11 49 

Lesson 11. MOSES' TRAINING FOR PUBLIC SERVICE. 
His Life in Egypt and in Midian. Scripture Section, 
Ex. chs. 1=4 

1. Historical Notes 

By Deaa Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Significance of the Abode in Egypt. 

Neither the sons of Jacob nor Joseph nor the Pharaoh 
contemplated at the outset any prolonged residence in 
Egypt on the part of the Israelites. But they were 
pleasantly located and for a long time had no reason for 
departure. The revolution which placed the Egyptian 
dynasties once more upon the throne of Egypt may not 
have had any outward effect at the beginning upon the 
Hebrews, who were, after all, rather few in numbers 
and obscure. It soon afforded a double reason for their 
continuance in Egypt. With Thothmes III there was 
inaugurated that aggressive, military policy which car- 
ried the victorious army of Egypt beyond the river Eu- 
phrates, making Palestine and Syria a battlefield and 
highway for many generations. From all such dis- 
turbance the Israelites and others who shared with them 
the hospitality of Egypt were protected. The land of 
Goshen was a refuge which became in every sense a new 
home. It may be, as Ebers suggests, that many of the 
able-bodied sons of Israel fought in the Egyptian armies. 
Egypt was a place of training and of various sorts of 
education, limited, no doubt, by the traditional dislike 
of the Egyptians for foreigners. There was no ten- 
dency toward assimilation or absorption. 

The Change of Royal Policy. 

The Eighteenth Dynasty was composed of rulers who 
were too active in conquest or 'too full of religious specu- 
lations to be other than tolerant to their reasonably loyal 
subjects. They had little reason for anxiety. But the 
Nineteenth Dynasty of kings were confronted by more 
serious problems, both foreign and domestic. Kamses 
II, the greatest of them all, found his supremacy in 



50 Historical and Expository Notes 

Syria, and Palestine threatened by the Hittites, with 
whom he was eventually forced to compromise on fairly 
equal terms. At the same time he cherished an over- 
weening ambition to make his name immortal by means 
of all manner of public works in Egypt. Jealous of 
any of his subjects who might have Palestinian sympa- 
thies, and standing in great need of workmen, it is not 
strange that he oppressed and enslaved the foreigners 
within his borders. With all due allowances for our 
limited actual knowledge, Eamses II conforms most 
clearly to the "Oppressor" of the first chapter of Exodus. 

The Education of Moses. 

The Biblical explanation of the important, even revo- 
lutionary, changes in the environment and outlook of 
the sons of Israel, which marked the beginnings of their 
life as a distinct people, was first the distinctive purpose 
of God, and then the remarkable personality of Moses. 
He was one of the great men of history, an original, ex- 
plicable neither by heredity nor environment, yet he had 
great advantages. At the palace and during his youth 
he received all that the culture of that day in the most 
brilliant court of the world could offer. He was, proba- 
bly, in a position to become familiar with large enter- 
prises. Forced to abandon the court after exhibiting his 
sympathy for his own race and identifying himself with 
them, he found in the seclusion of Midian an equally 
salutary experience. When he began his work of leader- 
ship, he seemed to have a clear-cut policy. He knew 
what to do. For this we may thank the long opportunity 
given the awakened intellect for deliberation. It was 
not so much a punishment as an opportunity. 

The Cat? of Moses. 

The call of Moses, like that of Abraham, was, histori- 
cally, no doubt, a much longer and broader affair than 
the hearkening to a divine command on one particular 
occasion. He had already made the Israelitish cause 
his own, he had determined, perhaps, what could be 
done with his people if once they were freed from Egypt, 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 11 51 

but he needed to receive the new revelation of God as 
the ever-active Providence, the God of Hosts, able to 
protect and guide His people, and desirous of delivering 
Israel from oppression. What the Scriptural narrative 
describes as the declaration of the divine name was real- 
ly on the part of Moses more than something heard; it 
was a comprehension of the true character of God in 
his active relationship with men and a realization that 
God would support him in achieving Israel's deliver- 
ance. With such an ally he could brave the anger even 
of a Pharaoh. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, B.D., Northfield, Nk&ss. 

Moses was the most remarkable man of Old Testa- 
ment times, in his personality, in the work he accom- 
plished, and in his abiding influence in the world. The 
present study covers a period of eighty years, and deals 
with the subject of his preparation for his great work. 

Notice First the Elements in His Training. 

1. His birth and early years were such as to have an 
abiding influence on his after life. His hiding by his 
parents was due to their faith in the purpose of God for 
His ancient people, notwithstanding the fact of their 
wretched condition at the time. Such faith must have 
its effect on the after-history of the child. How long 
his mother had charge of him we do not know, but in 
all probability quite long enough to have instilled into 
his childish mind thoughts concerning his own people 
which would bear fruit later on. 

2. His long residence at the court of the Pharaoh 
made him familiar with the ways of kings, and during 
that time as the son of the Pharaoh's daughter, he was 
highly educated, becoming "instructed in all the wis- 
dom of the Egyptians," and "mighty in words and 
works." Thus was contributed those elements of cul- 
ture and dignity which gave him the ability to rule, and 



52 Historical and Expository Notes 

to deal with kings, which characterized his later years. 

3. The next period was one of strange contrast; the 
life of a shepherd among the lonely splendors of the 
land of Midian; forty years of pastoral and meditative 
life, for which his mind had been trained by the disci- 
pline of Egyptian education. Thus were contributed 
those elements of quiet and restful strength, and massive 
meekness which were necessary for all that was to follow. 

4. Then lastly followed the awful splendor of his 
actual call and commission by Jehovah. The child of 
the court found himself in the presence of a Majesty 
which compelled him to take off his shoes, and become 
a worshiper, a Majesty greater than that of earthly kings 
while yet independent of its small trappings. The child 
of the wilderness found himself in the presence of a 
commonplace bush, the like of which he had seen on 
every hand for long years, but which now was the throne 
of a Fire which overawed his spirit. From such circum- 
stances his call to actual service came. He was to be- 
come the representative to the court he had left so long 
ago, of that lone Majesty manifested in the desert. 

Notice Next the Man in His Development. 

1. The choice of manhood's years was one of faith. 
No other motive is sufficient to account for it. It was 
based upon a deep conviction of the purpose of God for 
His people. The occasion revealed much in himself 
which proved his unfitness for leadership, and that ex- 
plains his flight. The flight, however, demonstrates the 
choice of faith. 

2. After forty years his attitude when commissioned 
is remarkable. His reluctance to obey, even to the point 
of weakness, is evidence of how well he had learned the 
lessons of his own insufficiency. And yet his ultimate 
obedience is even more remarkable as evidence of faith 
in God. When the timid shrinking from fear of his 
own weakness was overcome, he went forward with a 
splendid heroism to a work that must have filled the 
heart of any man with fear, save as he was resting in 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 11 53 

God. Criticise his cowardice, let who will ; they should 
also commend his courage. 

When God raises up a providential man, He general- 
ly finds him where no one else would look for him, but 
events will show that he was indeed chosen in infinite 
wisdom, and after all needed preparation. God uses or 
dispenses with the methods of men as may be wisest, 
but He never sends forth any men on His service save 
those who are perfectly prepared at every point for the 
work to which they are appointed. 

The chief preparation after all is in the spirit of a 
man. Neither the wisdom of Egypt, nor the habits of 
her court, nor yet the shepherd work in the wilderness 
perfectly prepared Moses. There had yet to be the 
greatest preparation of all, that of the bringing of his 
will into trustful submission to the purpose of God. 
This was accomplished at the burning bush, indirect 
and personal revelation. 



54 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 12. MOSES BEFORE PHARAOH. His Work 
for Israel Begun. Scripture Section, Ex. 5; 1 — 12: 
36 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yaie University 

The Significance of the Oppression to Israel. 

The period of oppression was not an unmixed evil to 
the tribes of Israel. It drew the harassed people to- 
gether; it emphasized their condition as aliens and pre- 
vented them from any tendency to amalgamate with 
the Egyptians. It demonstrated the value of their an- 
cient freedom and not only made them willing to pur- 
chase this at any price, but forever determined them 
to maintain it when achieved. It quickened their con- 
sciousness of the God of their fathers and of His power, 
so that Moses could base upon it a weighty appeal. Even 
their hardships were a salutary introduction to those 
of the desert, which were to follow. 

The Pharaoh of the Exodus. 

Just when the departure of the Israelites occurred 
no one can say with assurance. During the reign of 
Ramses the great, Palestine was either the scene of ac- 
tive warfare or in the undisputed possession of Egypt, 
Syria being similarly controlled by the Hittites. This 
state of things continued, according to the Egyptian 
records, until the early part of the reign of Eamses III, 
when a great change took place. In the reign of his 
predecessor, Menephtah, a 'barbarian" invasion, com- 
ing from Asia Minor along the coast swept over Syria 
and Palestine almost up to the confines of Egypt. The 
invaders overwhelmed the Hittite empire and wrecked 
it, similarly overran Palestine and Phoenicia, and were 
only driven back from the borders of Egypt by heroic, 
costly and exhausting efforts. In the days of Ramses 
III they came again only to be once more defeated, but 
at a heavy cost, which crippled Egypt for centuries, and 
caused her to loose her hold upon Palestine. Thus was. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 12 55 

created the first possibility, historically speaking, of an 
armed entrance into Palestine and of an independent 
conquest. In view of these facts it seems likely that 
the Pharaoh of the Exodus was either Menephtah or 
Ramses III. Each sovereign was sorely harassed and 
considerably weakened by these attacks. 
The Demands of Moses. 

Erom the standpoint of the religions thinking of that 
day the reasons which Moses first gave to the Pharaoh 
for the departure of his people are interesting. The 
demand was formulated in the name of Jehovah, their 
God, to whom they must offer sacrifice three days' jour- 
ney away in the wilderness. It was the proper demand 
of a national or tribal God unto His worshipers, and 
implied that their tribal obligations and rights were un- 
impaired. Jehovah had revealed Himself anew to His 
people and demanded recognition under the proper con- 
ditions. Pharaoh's reply was a defiance of Jehovah, an 
insult to Moses, His representative, and a refusal to ad- 
mit the independent status of the Israelites as an or- 
ganized body of people. The subsequent contest be- 
tween the Pharaoh and Moses was in no sense personal 
to the latter ; it was the struggle of the Pharaoh against 
Jehovah, so understood by all parties. The Biblical 
historian in this respect correctly interpreted current 
beliefs. 
The Departing Gifts. 

Despite the awful stroke which broke down the iron 
will of the unhappy despot and brought mourning into 
every household of Egypt, the Biblical accounts repre- 
sent the departure of the Hebrews as one accompanied 
by expressions of goodwill on the part of the people of 
Egypt. The expression in 12 : 36, "spoiled the Egyp- 
tians," is unfortunate. It has often been pointed out 
that the gifts which the Israelites received were quite 
customary in the case of departure from any place. The 
Egyptians were more than liberal, for they ardently 
wished for the speedy departure of the Hebrews. The 



56 Historical and Expository Notes 

gifts were merely a customary method of wishing good 

luck. 

The Exodus Viewed Historically. 

Few events are better attested than the exodus. He- 
brew traditions and folk-tales and Hebrew institutions 
alike gave it commemoration. The Passover was made 
into its special memorial feast. It thus was kept fresh 
in the minds of the people that they were delivered from 
bondage in Egypt. 

That no direct evidence exists for the exodus in Egyp- 
tian records need not disturb the student, since no an- 
cient people chronicled its disasters or failures, save as 
they prepared the way for ultimate victory. The gen- 
eral details find support in the fact that the separation 
of the Israelites from the grip of the Egyptian was in 
itself a remarkable feat, calling for the wise and skill- 
ful leadership of a great personality, such as Moses 
must have been. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mus. 

In this wonderful history we are brought face to face 
with God, Pharaoh, and Moses. 

Jehovah is seen moving in all the might and majesty 
of His power toward the accomplishment of a set pur- 
pose, and two men stand out in bold relief, the one sub- 
mitted to, and co-operating with, the movement, and the 
other rebellious against, and crushed thereby. 
God in His Majesty and Might. 

The moment has come for the delivery of His people. 

All the purposes of their exile and trouble are ful- 
filled, and now He will bring them out. 

One stands in the presence of His method overawed 
and yet filled with wonder and worship. He is abso- 
lutely irresistible, and yet moves in such a way that even 
His enemy shall have every chance either to repent and 
be delivered, or to demonstrate in human history the ab- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 12 57 

solute justice of his own destruction. Jehovah fore- 
knew the issue and told it to Moses, but His foreknowl- 
edge is not causation, and He gives this man every op- 
portunity by warnings, and gradations of punishment, 
to turn from his evil. By so doing, Pharaoh is made to 
reveal the utter evil of his own nature, and that the fate 
determined is in accord with strictest justice. 

Pharaoh the Man Fighting God. 

This man is an awful illustration of the terrific ma- 
jesty of the human will, even when in rebellion. Proud 
in heart, he becomes insolent in his challenge of God. 
When that challenge is answered by unmistakable mani- 
festations of power, he becomes maliciously angry and 
dishonest. The blinding passion of pride led to vain 
imaginings, "Who is Jehovah that I should hearken un- 
to His voice. ... I will not let Israel go." In this 
spirit the finite enters into conflict with the Infinite, 
and the contest leaves on record the unutterable folly 
of the pride which impels a man to fling himself against 
the Most High, only to be broken of his own will upon 
the shield of God. 

Moses the Man Fighting With God, 

Moses is revealed in two aspects, that of his relation 
to God, and that of his attitude toward Pharaoh. As to 
the former, he is seen as reverently familiar, transpar- 
ently honest, and implicitly obedient. His access to, 
and communion with, God are easy and direct. This is 
ever the case where a man is carrying out a definite com- 
mission for God. His honesty is seen in that when he 
is perplexed and disappointed by the complaining of his 
own people, he goes immediately to God, and with the 
simplicity and frankness of a child tells Him all that 
is in his heart (5 : 22, 23). To such honesty God can 
make known His ways. Then follows obedience in face 
of apparent failure after failure, quiet, dignified, and 
unfaltering. 

This relation to God created his attitude toward 



58 Historical and Expository Notes 

Pharaoh, which is dignified, as he speaks ever and only 
in the name of Jehovah ; patient, as he responds to every 
appeal of Pharaoh to intercede for him, when panic- 
stricken for a moment he asks such help ; persistent, as 
he returns again and again, though insolently driven 
from the royal presence ; and uncompromising, as he re- 
fuses every suggestion of Pharaoh which minimizes the 
claim he is sent to urge. 

Is there any page in Bible history which more graph- 
ically sets forth the all-conquering might of God, and 
yet His unwearying patience? And is there any other 
story that reveals in more terrible and splendid setting 
the relation of the will of man to God? The divine 
will must triumph, and the result to man of this tre- 
mendous fact depends altogether upon the relation his 
will bears to that of God. Surrendered to God a man is 
unconquerable, and moves through all processes of evi- 
dent victory, or seeming defeat toward the final song 
of an assured triumph. 

Rebellious against God, man is already defeated, and 
moves toward final and irretrievable disaster, notwith- 
standing wealth, position, armies, and all other advan- 
tages which for the moment appear too strong even 
for God, but which at last will be seen to be the common 
drift with which the winds and waves make sport. 

Reverence may have its humiliation, and obedience 
may experience disappointments, but conquest is as- 
sured. Mercy postpones judgment, but does not defeat 
justice. 

God never compromises the faith that obeys His 
commands. "Speak all that I command thee/' is the 
divine commission; and though our expectations are 
not immediately realized, God's purpose never fails. 

Moses in his fidelity to Jehovah was "as God to 
Pharaoh" (7:1), hence unconquerable. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 13 59 

Lesson 13. REVIEW OF LESSONS 1-12 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

From Abraham to Moses. 

The fundamental idea expressed in Isaiah 51 : 1, 2, 
still holds good for Christian Israel. It is salutary to 
consider the beginnings of a truly spiritual relationship 
to God, and to realize how humble they were, how alto- 
gether different from that with which we are familiar 
to-day, or even from what had been achieved up to the 
days of the great prophet. We cannot put ourselves ex- 
actly in the place of a devout Israelite and interpret 
Genesis as he did, for he raised no questions of any kind ; 
but we can appreciate as fully as he the religious sug- 
gestiveness and power of the narratives and can inter- 
pret them from more points of view. Their bearing on 
the history of religion he could not have understood at 
all ; to us it is eminently instructive. 

Viewed as Literature. 

From Genesis 12 to Exodus 12 we have a fine example 
of historical literature of purpose. It shows great skill 
in the sketching of progress by the use of a few appro- 
priate incidents, in description by contrasts, in character 
portrayal and particularly in epic enlargement, which 
contributes toward realism. The personalities live be- 
fore us, we readily enter into their experiences, we al- 
most endow them with the knowledge and the delicate 
spiritual sensitiveness of our own day. The writers were 
master hands at description. 

The naturalness, charm, simplicity and power of 
these narratives can hardly be overstated. Their lit- 
erary merit is readily observed by the careful reader of 
selected passages such as the wooing of Eebekah (Gen. 
ch. 24), the purchase of Machpelah (23), the plea of 
Judah (44), the wooing of Eachel (29), the struggle 
of Jacob with God (32), the promotion of Joseph 



60 Historical and Expository Notes 

(39-41). Such writing grips the memory and stirs the 
constructive imagination remarkably. 
Viewed as History. 

It is clear that the historians of this period were less 
intent upon history than on preaching. It may be 
doubted whether they had at their disposal more than 
meagre traditions. However this may be, the real ori- 
gin of Israel was probably much more complex than a 
reading of the narratives would lead us to suppose. The 
narratives center attention upon one line of develop- 
ment. It describes the history of a family. But races 
do not originate in so simple a fashion. Moreover, the 
Hebrews in Palestine were constantly absorbing strange 
elements. Doubtless they were more or less of a mixed 
race from the beginning. These are questions really 
for the student of ethnology, and can only be finally 
answered by him. In the interests of simplicity, clear- 
ness, impressiveness and instruction the prophetic writ- 
ers ignored all side issues and simply aimed to show 
that Abraham was the starting-point of the new re- 
ligious development which produced historical Israel. 
Viewed as the History of Religion. 

This is a viewpoint essentially modern, but very in- 
structive. The lack of perspective in making a survey 
of Israel's history prevents the grasp of many a helpful 
fact. Particularly it imposes unnecessary burdens up- 
on the reverent reader who judges the era as he would 
judge his own age. 

Keligion in the days of the patriarchs was a great 
reality. Abraham was as religious as Paul ; he had, ac- 
cording to the narrative, as vivid a sense of the Divine 
presence and power. But Abraham was no theologian ; 
he could not formulate his feeling in ways which make 
for edification ; he began at the bottom of the spiritual 
ladder. In his days religion was at a rudimentary stage. 
God was supposed to reveal Himself most readily at 
particular places, reverence was paid to trees, or pillars, 
or stones. There was great room for growth. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson IS 61 

Viewed as Religious Instruction. 

Here we reach the heart of the narratives. Underly- 
ing the anthropomorphisms of such a narrative as Gene- 
sis 18 is the noble permanent thought of the fellowship 
of God with men. But the real truth which the narra- 
tives drive home is the broader declaration that God is 
a providence, the fashioner of history, the orderer of 
human life. This is their real, distinctive theme. 

These narratives embody great studies in religious 
experience, characterized by insight and elevation. 
Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Rebekah, Esau, Laban, Joseph, 
Judah, Moses, and Aaron are true types, portrayed with 
a more than personal interest. They represent stages 
of religious development of which men are conscious 
to-day. 

To us these narratives convey the same helpfully 
stimulating sense of Divine power and goodness and 
nearness, of human need and responsibility, and of the 
co-operative relationship of God and man that inspired 
the devout son of Israel as he perused them two thou- 
sand years and more ago. Some details have a mean- 
ing for us which he did not realize ; the distinctive ideas 
we share with him. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

A review of these lessons resolves itself into a con- 
templation of the dealings of God with men, as to pur- 
pose, methods, and agents. 
The Purpose. 

In order to a right understanding of the history of 
the Hebrew people it cannot too often be insisted on that 
the purpose of God in calling and creating the nation 
was that of blessing all other nations. The election of 
the Hebrew people is sometimes thought of as though 
it meant the exclusion of all others from the favor of 
God. So far from this being the case, the only reason 
for their being chosen was that through them, such 



62 Historical and Expository Notes 

revelations of the breadth and beauty and beneficence of 
the kingdom of God should be manifest, that others 
might see and believe. Within that purpose there was 
included the plan of redemption for the race, and the 
Chosen People were the channel through which such 
redemption should be wrought out. The memory of 
these facts will help in the understanding of all the his- 
tory. A purpose so great explains much of the slowness 
and mystery of the process. 

The Methods. 

A nation is to be created which shall be under the 
direct government of God in order that His will may 
be accomplished. Thus, a man is called out from his 
people distinctly and directly, and henceforth his only 
law of life is to be that of faith in God and submission 
to His will. Then from Him the nation is to come as a 
family, all seeking to know the will of God in regard to 
all the details of their lives. It is the realization among 
men of a theocracy in visible form. Through the pages 
of the history studied in these lessons, we have seen the 
nation grow from the man, pass through a period of 
suffering, and come through deliverance to the eve of a 
great national realization. All the principles of the 
Messianic mission are seen at work, as we keep our mind 
on the nation rather than the individuals. Life lived 
under Divine control; life learning obedience through 
suffering; and life coming towards an exodus in co- 
operation with God. 

The Agents. 

This history gathers round certain men, who appear 
at critical occasions and lead to further development. 
These are men of different temperament. Abraham is 
a seer, who through the distances beholds the city of 
God. Isaac is a man of silence, whose contribution to 
the progress is that of submission. Jacob is subtle, and 
reveals the triumph of the Divine over the human for 
ultimate victory. Joseph is the man of simple aim and 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 13 63 

devotion, and is the medium of the purposes of God 
without strife. Moses is the cultured and self-controlled 
statesman, the instrument perfectly fitted to be the 
channel for establishing the Divine economy. 

Yet while differing so widely, these men are all ac- 
tuated by one principle, that of faith in God, and the 
ultimate accomplishment of His purpose. In some this 
principle is manifest more clearly, and works more 
naturally than in others, but in all it is ever present, and 
sooner or later proves itself to be the victorious element 
in their life and work. 

Each separate temperament, governed by this domi- 
nant principle, contributes its own quota toward the 
general movement, and so each appears in his own day 
as God's providential man exactly meeting the immedi- 
ate necessity. 

These lessons are more than mere history. They give 
us, moreover, more than the history of God's revelation 
of Himself to men. They reveal the perpetual princi- 
ples of His government. He is still the God of nations, 
and raises up and casts down in the working out of 
His purposes of blessing. The creation and blessing of 
the American people is as distinctly the result of the 
Divine control as that of the Hebrew people. These 
choices, however, are not capricious. They depend upon 
the response of a people to His will as revealed. More- 
over all human history reveals the appearance at criti- 
cal moments of providential men, fitted, and equipped 
for, and used in the carrying out of the purposes of God. 
All such men are to be measured like the men of the 
Bible, not by their individual failures, but by their 
contribution under God to the great whole. The one 
principal essential^ and found in all, is that of faith in 
God. 



HISTORICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES. 



Lesson 14, MOSES THE LIBERATOR. Israel's De- 
parture from Egypt. Scripture Section, Ex. 12: 37 
— 15: 21 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, O.O., Yale University 
The Real Deliverer. 

The keynote of the story of the exodus is the deliver- 
ance of the children of Israel by Jehovah. To the na- 
tion in after generations it was no happy combination 
of circumstances nor a carefully formulated scheme 
originated and executed by Moses that set the Israelites 
free to wander where they would, but the deliberate 
exhibition of divine forethought and energy. It is 
natural for us in an age which insists upon knowing the 
immediate causes of every achievement to turn our atten- 
tion to the human actors and to the actual sequence of 
events. The Hebrew mind was satisfied with the as- 
surance that the directive personality was God. Upon 
this glorious theme their writers poured out their souls 
in ecstasy. The deliverance was a divine affair, the 
triumph of Jehovah over the power of Egypt's gods. 
Any such contest seems absurd to us of today, when we 
give it real consideration, for there were no Egyptian 
gods with any such power. But those who lived in the 
age of Moses believed fully in the existence and local 
importance of Egypt's gods. It seemed to them that 
Jehovah had won a great victory over these gods; and 
both those who participated in the deliverance and those 
who came after vied in expressions of grateful praise. 
The Song of Moses. 

This is well illustrated by the dramatic poem of the 
fifteenth chapter of Exodus. It makes glad acknowl- 
edgment of Jehovah's might, put forth to deliver and 

65 



66 Historical and Expository Notes 

protect His people, so significant an exhibition of His 
purposes and power that those who oppose their execu- 
tion may well tremble, whether individuals or peoples. 
"Who is like unto thee, Jehovah, among the gods? 
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, 
doing wonders." 

The Passover. 

The formal expression by the Israelitish nation in 
after generations of this gratitude was at the feast of the 
Passover. Despite our lack of evidence regarding the 
regular celebration of this feast until a date centuries 
removed from the exodus, it is quite probable that the 
feast had a commemorative value from the outset of 
the national life. Eegarding its origin there is much 
difference of opinion. Most students think that the 
Passover memorial feast was the transformation and 
appropriation of an earlier people's feast, which was 
itself of the greatest popularity and significance. A 
corresponding appropriation and reinterpretation for 
religious ends of an earlier custom is found in circum- 
cision, which did not originate with the Israelites but 
was given a special significance among them. 

The Route of the Exodus. 

Dr. Henry Clay Trumbull's study of the Biblical 
data relating to this journey toward the desert in the 
appendix to "Kadesh-bamea" has never been surpassed 
in clearness and acute suggestion. The historical facts 
are obscured by the blending in chapters 13 to 15 of 
several accounts of the deliverance, each, like the first 
three Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, from a dis- 
tinct point of view. They sum up into a speedy assem- 
bling of the Israelites at a rendezvous ; their advance to 
the border of Egypt ; a delay, due either to a change of 
plan (13:17) or to the difficulty of finding a practical 
passageway unguarded by the line of fortresses which 
the Egyptian sovereigns in those days of menace from 
the East maintained; the determination of Pharaoh to 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 14 67 

follow and reclaim them, and the overtaking of the Is- 
raelites by the Egyptian forces at the very edge of the 
water barrier. 
The Crossing of the Sea. 

The oldest testimony to the passage of the Israelites 
out of Egyptian bondage into the freedom of the desert 
is given by the poem in Exodus 15. This testifies to the 
marvelous escape of the people led by Moses in a way 
which pointed directly to God's immediate aid, and to a 
corresponding disaster which befell the troops of Egypt. 
The prose narratives blended in chapter 14 indicate that 
an opportunity to cross the water barrier came unex- 
pectedly and that the Israelites were able to take advan- 
tage of it, while the army perished. It is quite impos- 
sible for any one at the present day to determine exactly 
what happened. The actual deliverance, however, is the 
most important fact. The Israelites did get free, because 
Jehovah gave them timely help. This they never forgot. 
It became a great upbuilding, soul-stirring theme, which 
may be traced in the religious thinking of their repre- 
sentative men. Like the missionary outlook and impulse 
of the present age, the demonstration of divine goodness 
and greatness through this great deliverance sustained 
and stimulated the inner religious life of Israel. 
II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Ma««. 

■This study introduces us to a new period in the history 
of the Hebrew people. The bondage of their slavery is 
broken, and they are no longer a subservient people. 
The great theocratic ideal is now being realized, and in 
its first stages manifested to other nations. A nation of 
six hundred thousand men besides women and children 
is seen here under the direct government of God, the 
King of kings. It is a wonderful spectacle, and these 
first movements are radiant in their revelation of the 
splendor of such a government. The people themselves 
are revealed in all their weakness and imperfection. God 
is manifested in His majesty and wisdom. Moses is 



68 Historical and Expository Notes 

seen in all the strength resulting from his long prepara- 
tion. Supreme interest attaches to the vision of God. 
Let us therefore first consider that vision, glancing in 
conclusion at Moses and the people. 

The Great King Jehovah. 

Immediately the nation has left Egypt itself, God as- 
serts His sovereignty over them and arranges that the 
sense of it shall be kept alive by the institution of a feast 
to be annually observed in commemoration of the fact 
that He delivered them, and by claiming as specially de- 
voted to Himself the first-born of man and beast. These 
are sacramental symbols of the relation of the nation to 
Himself, and it is of special interest to note that the 
feast is arranged as an object lesson for the children of 
coming generations, in order that by explaining its 
meaning the fathers may pass on the great and all-im- 
portant truth. The King is seen as directing the move- 
ments of the nation with great wisdom and irresistible 
power. 

The circuitous route of their marching has a meaning. 
They are not taken the near way through the Philistines' 
country, because they are unprepared for war, and fear 
might take possession of them. They are led into a 
place of apparent danger in order that their hardened 
and brutal foe may be brought to destruction. The pic- 
ture of the two hosts and the two kings is full of color 
and of fire. It presents on the one hand the splendidly 
equipped forces of Pharaoh with all the signs and sounds 
of worldly strength, and on the other the poor crowd of 
escaped slaves led and guarded by the mystic majesty of 
the pillar of cloud and fire. 

The vengeance of Jehovah in the destruction of the 
Egyptians, is seen moving with irresistible force, infinite 
precision and poetic justice. No wonder that poetry and 
song celebrated the glorious triumph, for the whole 
movement manifests the glory of God, and the absolute 
safety and unconquerable strength of a God-governed 
people. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 14 69 

The Nation. 

Apart from the King how weak and contemptible 
these people are, crying out in panic-stricken fear and 
rebellious murmuring in the first place of peril, and 
joining in the song of glad triumph within so short a 
space ! Yet it is well to remember how slavery debases 
any people. The supreme value of the whole history of 
the Hebrews is not that of the revelation of the great- 
ness of a people, but that of the greatness of God as a 
King; and their very failure does but serve as a back- 
ground to throw into brighter relief the divine glory. 
Moses. 

The strength of Moses is seen in his attitude toward 
the people and toward God. Toward them he is calm, 
dignified and confident. In the presence of God he is 
anxious, submissive and obedient. His fear was not 
manifest to the crowd. It was expressed in his cry to 
his God. The triumph of such relationship to God and 
man on the part of this appointed leader is expressed 
in the great anthem of praise which followed the deliv- 
erance through the sea. It is unmatched as a stately ex- 
pression of dignified triumph and vindicated trust. 
Learn 

How essential it is to be comprehensive in our outlook 
— God, the nation, its leaders. Omit God, and we lose 
sight of the divine purpose in human life. Too often 
this is our mistake. The people inspire no hope, and the 
leaders are powerless against national weakness and tem- 
per. Look at finite weakness through infinite power, and 
there will be movement and rythm in the march, order 
in place of chaos, an invincible army instead of a rabble. 

Do not reverse the method of Moses in dealing with 
discouragements. Moses never faltered before the peo- 
ple, no word of doubt escaped his lips. Whatever he felt 
in that respect went straight into the ears of God. Let 
faith speak to men. 



70 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 15. MOSES THE LEADER. His Care for the 
People on the Harch to Sinai. Scripture Section, 
Ez. 15: 22—18: 27 

1. Historical Notes 
By Deaa Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
His Genius for Leadership. 

Moses appears to have been a born leader of men. No 
student of the narrative of the exodus can doubt his 
possession of the qualities which give a man ascendency 
and influence over men in the mass. He was of course 
a trained man of large resourcefulness, accustomed to 
the exercise of authority. No less marked was his capac- 
ity for anticipating and relieving the hindrances to such 
a movement as that of the Hebrews. But he was more 
than a born organizer and director. His unfailing cour- 
age, born of an unswerving confidence in Jehovah's 
might and purpose had an inspirational value for his 
people, nerving them too for heroic efforts at critical 
moments. These characteristics have to be inferred, but 
are warranted by the facts. 
His Manifold Responsibility. 

The exact conditions of his task will always be un- 
known, since the early historical records do not go into 
sufficient detail. As will be seen, we cannot even be sure 
regarding the route selected. Yet we are certain that he 
went away from the border of Egypt toward the sacred 
mountain in charge of a large and probably an unorgan- 
ized body of people. Under the most favorable circum- 
stances he was presented with three serious problems: 
the transportation of the aged and feeble, the providing 
for the daily needs of all, and the thorough organization 
of the people for protection and for government. At a 
stroke his people had become free, but that very moment 
made him the responsible leader of an independent peo- 
ple, exposed to hostilities wherever they should go. The 
story of the repulse of Amalek and that of the careful 
organization of the people are but indications of his im- 
mediate interest in these problems. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 15 71 

The Sacred Mountain: Sinai-Horeb. 

The natural objective of the people, led by Moses, was 
the sacred mountain, where Moses himself had come to 
know Jehovah. In Hebrew traditions the name of this 
mountain is sometimes given as Sinai, sometimes as 
Horeb. The former name, if derived, as many think, 
from the Babylonian moon-god, Sin, indicates its very 
early sanctity. The Oriental mind of that day found it 
vastly easier to receive religious impressions at a place 
already regarded as hallowed by divine manifestation. 
This sacred mountain was the most fitting place for the 
sending of the covenant which Moses intended to estab- 
lish between Jehovah and Israel. 

The true location of this mountain is even to-day a 
matter of active discussion. Sayce would place it in the 
land of Midian, which he locates to the north and east 
of the eastern arm of the Eed Sea. Others would locate 
it in Edom, largely on the evidence of such passages as 
Jud. 5 :4, 5, or Deut. 33 :2 or 32 :10. Still others prefer 
the traditional site in the southern part of the Sinaitic 
peninsula, and this location is as probable as any. 

The Roads to Sinai. 

Whether the Israelites went southward or eastward 
after getting well away from Egypt, they were not forced 
to traverse a trackless desert. On the contrary, there 
were well-marked highways over which caravans and 
troops were often passing. Several of these are alluded 
to in the early histories (Gen. 16:7; Ex. 13:17, 18). 
The existence of the highways make it fairly probable 
that there were other conveniences. 

The Sina! Region. 

Every narrative of the Exodus suggests the disparity 
between the needs of the people and their resources, and 
emphasizes their dependence upon Jehovah, their God. 
To the Hebrews of the days of Solomon, as to us, the 
Sinai region seemed destitute of resources. Winckler, 
-However, thinks it not unreasonable to suppose that the 



72 Historical and Expository Notes 

Minaean Kingdom over Arabian peoples, a nnih ilated 
about the seventh or eighth century, B. C, was in the 
time of Moses in its most vigorous beginnings, in which 
case both the peninsula of Sinai and the land of Midian 
or Seir would be the centre of a vigorous though rude 
civilization, and the problem of caring for Israel would 
be much more simple. 

The manna and the quails are a part of the historical 
tradition, but in view of the evidence of a considerable 
population in the Sinaitic region at that time, and the 
presence with the Israelites of their flocks and herds, we 
may well infer that the manna and the quails were not 
the only means of subsistence available for the people 
on their journey. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Our present lesson shows us Israel emancipated but 
unorganized. In many respects the most difficult task 
is still before Moses. ' Here we see the beginnings of 
that work, and attention is directed to the people in the 
difficulties of the position; to Moses, discharging the 
functions of leadership; and to Jehovah, the all-suffi- 
cient One. 

1. The frequent expressions of dissatisfaction by the 
people are not surprising when their long continuance 
in slavery is remembered. A vast multitude, numbering 
certainly over a million, suddenly set at liberty, after a 
life spent in bondage, would, in the natural order of 
things, create a problem fraught with difficulty for any 
one undertaking the work of organizing them into a 
nation. 

Of course it is true that these people never lost the 
sense of their religion, and consequently were saved from 
the more terrible forms of depravity, such as invariably 
follow in the wake of slavery. Still, liberty without the 
realization of personal responsibility created a grave 
peril. They followed Moses out of Egypt, and appar- 
ently anticipated a life of immediate ease. They 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 15 73 

utterly failed to appreciate their own unfitness, and 
the necessity which existed for preparing them for na- 
tional life and international relationships. Hence 
their murmuring in every new crisis of difficulty, and 
their disobedience in some of the simplest matters, such, 
for instance, as the attempt to keep manna from day to 
day, and the going out of many of them to gather it on 
the Sabbath. 

2. Under these trying circumstances the greatness 
of Moses is revealed. This greatness is manifested in 
his loyalty to the underlying principle of faith in God. 
The clamoring multitude ever drove him to communion 
with God. There was no independent action on his 
part. Every difficulty was laid before God, and he 
worked in harmony with the divine counsel. Fear- 
lessly and with consummate ability he grasped the situ- 
ation, and bent to his task, but always in the spirit of 
conscious and active dependence upon Jehovah. 

He moreover manifested his weakness of spirit in his 
willingness to depend upon man in so far as such de- 
pendence did not interfere with his relation to God. 
His acceptance of Jethro's suggestion is proof not of 
weakness but of strength. The man who facing some 
great task refuses the counsel of others because it may 
seem to rob him of the appearance of personal ability, 
lacks real greatness. In this twofold respect we have a 
revelation of the true elements of strength in all leader- 
ship. 

The man who would confront the problems and per- 
plexities of a people in the spirit of a true leader must 
live in right relationship with the Throne of the Eternal. 

He must, moreover, be amenable to wise counsel from 
whencesoever it may come. The scheme of Jethro 
which Moses accepted, providing for devolution of re- 
sponsibility, was one of undoubted wisdom. Through 
it Moses lost nothing of authority, but rather was en- 
abled to make that authority felt through all the nation. 

3. High over all, the radiant glory of God is mani- 
fested. In great tenderness and patience He bears with 



74 Historical and Expository Notes 

all the folly of the people. With inexorable firmness 
He insists upon obedience, through His servants sternly 
rebuking the direct acts of disobedience. 

And yet, perhaps, the revelation of God which in this 
lesson is supreme, is that of His resourcefulness. 
Whether the need be for food, or water, or victory over 
foes, in unexpected and unusual ways, and yet with un- 
hesitating certainty He supplies their needs. Thus in 
communion Moses is learning the ways of God, and 
through his mediatorship of authority the people are 
observing His mighty acts. 

Lessons. 

1. What hope is inspired by this study ! The most 
unpromising material wisely led and God-blessed, 
shapes into a force to bless all nations. 

2. Let authority discover its real mission, and to 
God it will turn for counsel. It will not waste oppor- 
tunities by meeting unreasonable murmurings in the 
spirit of anger, but will make such experiences incen- 
tives to seeking divine guidance. 

3. The man God-chosen for leadership will be quick 
to recognize in others the spirit of sympathy with the 
divine purposes. 

4. Let faith contemplate the resourcefulness of God 
and its service will be unfaltering. 






Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 16 75 

Lesson 16. HOSES THE LAWGIVER. The Covenant 
with God Accepted. Scripture Section, Ex. chs, 
19=24 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
The Scene of the Covenant. 

At Sinai, the holy mountain, where Jehovah had al- 
ready revealed Himself to their great leader, Moses, the 
Israelites entered willingly into a solemn and irrevocable 
relationship with Jehovah. He had demonstrated the 
adequacy of His power, had manifested His tender love 
and providential care; through Moses He now invited 
their particular loyalty as a people on the eve of a new 
life. Sinai they regarded as His abode or at least as a 
locality where He was wont to manifest Himself. In the 
Israelites, accustomed to the flatness of the Nile valley 
and the delta, there must have been awakened a feeling 
akin to awe by the rugged, precipitous outlines of the 
sacred mountain. No more fitting spot could have been 
selected for the solemn act of adoption. 
The Meaning of It. 

The Israel which Moses was leading was to all intents 
and purposes a new people. Since its numbers had raised 
it above the status of a clan, it had scarcely had the op- 
portunity of realizing its individuality and outlining a 
future. So vague is our actual knowledge of the practi- 
cal religious ideas of a people of their day or of their 
own conceptions that we are not justified in making un- 
qualified assertions. It seems very probable, however, 
that the average Israelite conceived of himself as enter- 
ing into a solemn pledge to do loyal service to Jehovah, 
and to live in accordance with the rules this relation 
should involve. It was more than the mere renewing of 
an earlier covenant, for the Jehovah of Sinai had shown 
Himself under aspects of which their fathers had had 
no glimpse. He was their protector and leader; they 
were ready to follow. The closeness of the relationship 
and the sacredness of the vow were symbolized by the 



76 Historical and Expository Notes 

division of blood (Ex. 24:6, 8). Jehovah and Israel 
entered into blood-brotherhood. 

Moses* Work of Organization. 

Three theories of the work achieved by Moses at Sinai 
have found acceptance. A rather natural inference from 
the Biblical account is that Moses had no part to play 
save that of an intermediary. He received and transmit- 
ted the explicit and comprehensive instructions of God. 
This view lays a right emphasis upon the divine share 
in the transaction, but fails to take into account the data 
made known by students of comparative religion and 
archaeology, who have shown that the Hebrews were not 
an isolated and peculiar race. Not a few scholars, rely- 
ing upon these data, take the view that little more was 
done at Sinai than to ratify in a perfectly familiar way 
the new relationship which was to exist between Jehovah 
and Israel, and that no institutions were there set up 
which were in any sense new. A third view seems 
broader and more probable, viz.: that Moses was a real 
factor in this great initiation of Israel into being a peo- 
ple, that as a founder he shaped their institutions, util- 
izing the old but creating under Divine inspiration the 
new as well. Much of this work would be adaptation. 

It was a salutary and successful work. The people 
received at Sinai a bent which they never lost. It was 
essentially the birthplace of the future nation. 

The Covenant Law. 

The record declares that during the early stay at Sinai 
three sorts of law were promulgated : an ethical codeand 
one which included both civil and ritual obligations, 
each of a relatively simple character. It would be diffi- 
cult to conceive of a leader of the type of Moses who 
would be satisfied with less or achieve much more. His 
people were still nomads in organization and temper and 
possessions. They were to live in the desert, where an 
elaborate system of legislation is quite needless. They 
needed only the germs of the elaborate organization of 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 16 77 

the later centuries. The sacred tent, the ark, the attend- 
ants, the ritual, the glad and generous offerings of the 
sacred furnishings all show the natural forms of the re- 
ligious life which then began for the people. The record 
which we read in the chapters that follow and in Levit- 
icus and Numbers really describes the final development 
reached by this simple system after many centuries of 
reverent usage. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Gradually we have seen Israel the nation proceeding 
from the man Abraham. So far all the Divine guidance 
has been in fulfilment of terms of the covenant made 
with the father of the people. The time had come when 
the covenant must become national. The nation as a 
nation has had its birth, and the inter-relationship be- 
tween it and God must be expressed in a covenant, the 
terms of which shall include the whole of the people. 
Its principles will be identical with that made with 
Abraham. This covenant is to be the foundation of na- 
tional life. All that comes after will be but the unfold- 
ing and explanation and application of its underlying 
principles. 

Here we see some of the most thrilling and awe-inspir- 
ing scenes in the history of Moses. Notice four move- 
ments : 

1. The solemn preparation. 

2. The simple statement of the covenant and its ac- 
ceptance. 

3. The application of the covenant to present neces- 
sities. 

4. The solemn ceremonies chronicled at the close. 

1. The Solemn Preparation (Ex. 19:1-3). 

Acquaintance with the natural features of the wilder- 
ness of Sinai will show how awe-inspiring was the place 
chosen for this solemn ceremony. Rugged and splendid 
in its desolation, inspiring solemnity of heart and mind, 



73 Historical and Expository Notes 

affording a fitting amphitheater for enactments so pro- 
found and magnificent. Into the mountain around 
whose base the people clustered, Moses went and there 
heard the voice of God as He declared the terms of the 
covenant. 

2. The Covenant and its Acceptance (Ex. 19:4-6). 

The covenant as here declared manifests the infinite 
grace of God. He relates the deliverances wrought, and 
indicates their meaning. He has brought them to Him- 
self. He then declares their personal responsibility, 
that they should obey His voice and keep His covenant, 
and finally, announces His purpose for them, they are 
to be the people of His possession, a kingdom of priests, 
a holy nation. 

This declaration is the foundation of everything 
which is to follow, and is radiant with the light of in- 
finite love. The sterner messages must be read in this 
light. Moses makes known the terms to the people. 
They immediately accept, by which they seem to reveal 
ignorance of their own frailty, and yet no other attitude 
could meet the requirement of the occasion. 

3. The Application of the Covenant to Present Necessities 
(Ex. 19:7—23:1). 

In this section we notice the marked contrast of all 
that now happens, to the tone of the covenant as at first 
enunciated. The God of tender grace now announces 
Himself as approaching in thick cloud. The people are 
commanded to maintain a worshipful and awe-impulsed 
distance. Thunders and lightnings and the voice of a 
trumpet are the accompaniments. 

We have no reason to believe that this indicates a 
change of purpose, or is in the nature of punishment. 
The covenant declared in simplicity and tenderness is 
not altered, but the people are not prepared to enter 
into immediate possession of all therein intended. They 
must learn their own unfitness, and by processes be 
brought into full realization. The covenant of grace 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 16 79 

therefore must express itself for the time being in law. 
Then follows that section which may be spoken of as 
the book of the covenant, which includes chapters 20-23. 
This should be divided into two parts, first, the laws 
which indicate the line of obedience promised (20:1 — 
23:19), and secondly, gracious promises made on condi- 
tions of obedience (23:20-33). These should again be 
divided into, first, fundamental and all-inclusive com- 
mandments, ten in number, the first four of which de- 
fine the relationship between the people and God, and the 
last six human inter-relationships (20), and second, the 
application of the principles of the laws to local circum- 
stances (21:1 — 23:19). Then follow the promises. 

4. Closing Ceremonies (ch. 24). 

The book of the covenant is read in the audience of 
the people and they again consent to its terms. After 
this Moses and the elders hold solemn communion with 
God, and finally Moses moves into yet nearer place of 
fellowship that he may receive detailed instruction con- 
cerning the method of worship. 

The supreme revelation of this section is that of God. 
His purpose is always true to the essential fact of his 
nature, that of love and grace. This purpose, however, 
in order to its own fulfilment must move along 
the line created by the necessity of the people. 
The requirements of love are stern and searching, 
or to state the truth from the other side, all the awful 
majesty and terror of law is but the necessary expression 
to a sinning people of the infinite love. 



80 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 17. MOSES THE MEDIATOR. The Covenant 
Broken and Restored. Scripture Section, Ex. chs. 
32-34 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
The Sudden Crisis. 

A dramatic element is given to the story of the so- 
journ of Israel at Sinai by the account of the unexpected 
relapse of the people during the absence of Moses into 
familiar but unsanctioned ways of worship. It does not 
appear to have been a deliberate defiance of Him but a 
thoughtless indulgence of popular impulse. Exodus 
32 :4, 5 shows that it was not a denial of Jehovah that 
was intended by the people but the construction of a 
visible symbol. Moses and all who followed him earn- 
estly regarded the matter as very serious, an outbreak 
which must be sternly repressed and symbolically 
atoned for. We are hardly able to-day to exactly de- 
scribe the sin, as felt by the very actors on that mem- 
orable day when Moses suddenly reappeared. It was 
evidently a belittling of the Divine majesty or possibly 
a disparaging of the injunction of Moses to respect the 
sacred covenant just entered upon by awaiting the fur- 
ther expression of Jehovah's will. In either case a 
crisis had come. 
The Golden Calf. 

The nature of the crisis is not indicated by the symbol 
of deity of which the people made use. They seem to 
have persuaded Aaron to superintend the making of the 
image of a young bull, probably of life size, made of 
wood which was overlaid with gold. It is not necessary 
to suppose that the bull-worship of Egypt suggested the 
idea to their minds, for the bull was a favorite emblem 
of deity among the Semites. In origin this symbolism 
suggests an agricultural environment, not that of the 
desert. It had, however, long been in the blood. In 
old Babylonian temples and palaces the protecting guar- 
dianship of God was represented freely by the winged 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 17 Bt 

bulls which stood at the portals. The bull was a nat- 
ural type of creative strength and energy. To set up 
Jehovah worship under this symbolism was easy and 
natural for the Hebrew fugitives, but would put Him at 
the same time on the familiar, non-ethical basis of their 
experience with other gods. Moses had the task of re- 
lating them to Jehovah by peculiar and permanent ties 
and on a higher ethical basis. To him, therefore, their 
action involved a definite and dangerous disloyalty. 
The Levites. 

The strange passage 32 :25-29 bears testimony to the 
seriousness of this religious error. Moses regarded it as 
dangerous rebellion, which must be quelled without 
mercy. Historically it also suggests the reason for the 
recognition of the tribe of Levi as the one which should 
furnish those who would serve faithfully the religious 
needs of the people. Their loyalty may possibly have 
been stimulated by the fact that Moses himself was a 
Levite, but it was undoubted and persistent. We have 
very early testimony to the religious standing of the 
members of the tribe, even in the days when every man 
"did that which was right in his own eyes" (Jud. 
17:7-11). Israelitish explanations of this preference 
ran back to those days at Sinai. 

The Little Covenant Code. 

It is one of the interesting and yet perplexing facts 
of this important three-stranded history that the "ten 
words" (34:11-26, 28) which were made a part of the 
renewed covenant between Jehovah and Israel, were not 
the same ten as those made a part of the first covenant 
and reported in chapter 20. More, it is a religious code, 
devoted to right worship, whereas the other is an ethical 
code affirming fundamental requirements of right life. 
There is yet a third code, distinct in position and charac- 
ter (20:23—23:33), beginning and closing (20:23-26 
and 23 :10-19) with provisos such as we find in the "ten 
words" of ch. 34, but consisting mainly of "judgments" 
(21 :1) which set forth a code of civil and criminal law, 



&2 Historical and Expository Notes 

very simple in character but notable for high standards. 

Even the Hebrew historians appear to have been un- 
certain regarding the exact origin and relative priority 
of these codes. That of Exodus 20 is the most funda- 
mental; that of ch. 34 is more directly applicable to the 
prevailing worship. As a fact we would expect from a 
mind like that of Moses all three kinds of law: civil, 
ceremonial, and ethical. These codes represent nearly 
enough the first formulation of each. 

It would be interesting and perhaps valuable to com- 
pare with some provisions of the largest code the recent- 
ly published code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, but 
that is now available, in good editions, for any interested 
student. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Here we are brought face to face with the changing 
attitudes of the unchangeable Jehovah, and Moses is 
seen as the man pre-eminently fitted for leadership by 
reason of his fundamental loyalty to God, and tender 
solicitude for the people. 

The Sin of the People. 

Any reading of this narrative which draws a distinc- 
tion between its revelation of God and our knowledge of 
Him, in the Christian dispensation, is, to say the least, 
superficial. All the sternness of His word, and the 
anger and severity of His attitude must be accounted 
for by the sins of the people. Love insists upon loyalty. 
A people rebellious and stiffnecked must be dealt with in 
judgment. Yet if through the intercession and influence 
of one man they may be brought to repentance, then 
God alone will repent of evil determined upon them. 

"We must carefully interpret the action of God by 
consideration of the circumstances calling it forth. To 
forget this is to be in danger of thinking of Him as 
capricious and variable. To remember it is to realize 
the fact that with Him there "can be no variation, 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 17 83 

neither shadow that is cast by turning." Love must 
smite sin, but must also be tender toward the sinner 
turning from sin. 

The Intercession of Moses. 

In many respects we have here the supreme manifes- 
tation of the greatness of Moses. In order to see this 
we must carefully note his method. Take the whole 
story. First he stands in the presence of God, and then 
goes forth to the people. Again he returns to God, and 
again goes forth to the people. And yet a third time 
he passes into the Divine presence, and a third time 
confronts the nation. 

In his first appearance before God, he is seen as a 
man pleading with God, not for the people but for God. 
He urges a threefold plea against consuming the people, 
but in it there is no note of pity for them. He reminds 
God of the fact that he delivered them, of the fact that 
their destruction would reflect upon his character in the 
eyes of the Egyptians, and finally, that their destruction 
would break a covenant which he made with their 
fathers. It is a great picture of his deepest passion, a 
desire for the honor of God. 

In this he prevails, not that he persuades God to 
change, but that a man of such conviction and devotion 
will be able to deal with the people, and upon that basis, 
Jehovah repented. 

Moses immediately passes out to the people, and now 
he is seen acting among them for God. There is no pity 
in his tone or in his method. The calf is burned with 
fire, ground to powder, strewed upon the water, and he 
moves amongst them in a fierce anger which manifests 
itself in punishment characterized by the shedding of 
blood. 

Now he comes back into the Divine presence, and 
having triumphed with God and with the people in 
vindication of God, he becomes the tender suppliant with 
God for the people themselves. He flings himself into 
the gap, and prays that if some stroke must fall, it 



$4 Historical and Expository Notes 

may fall upon him. Here again he prevails, and with 
great tenderness Jehovah tells him that the people shall 
yet be brought into their land. Yet there is a reserve 
in the Divine message, and an angel is promised to lead 
them. 

This second victory gained, Moses goes forth to the 
people again. As at the first he acted wholly for the 
vindication of God, so now he acts with them for their 
own salvation, calling them to renewed consecration. 
Passing again into the Divine presence he pleads that 
the presence of God may go with them, and obtaining 
this promise also, asks for some personal manifestation 
of the glory of God, which is granted to him in that won- 
derful unfolding of the name of Jehovah as a "God 
merciful and gracious, slow to anger/' He returns pres- 
ently to the people with the tables of the law re-written, 
and there follows a renewal of the covenant with 
Jehovah. 

Great is the value of this lesson, for it reveals that 
the deepest passion of the life of a leader must be for 
the glory of God. Accompanying this, however, and in- 
deed, a necessary outcome of it, there will ever be tender 
concern for men, and readiness for such vicarious suf- 
fering as the sin and failure of the people may demand. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 18 85 

Lesson 18. MOSES AT KADESH-BARNEA. Israel's 
Cowardice and Punishment. Scripture Section, 
Num. chs. 13, 14 

1* Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University. 

The Journey to Kadesh. 

Deuteronomy 1 : 19 declares that Kadesh was the ob- 
jective of the people of Israel after they left Sinai. No 
doubt it was one from the very outset of the wandering. 
Moses needed a real headquarters where his people could 
abide until prepared for the advance into Canaan. For 
such a purpose no more favorable site could well have 
been chosen. Travelers have described it as pleasing, 
fertile, and capable of affording sustenance for the flocks 
of a large body of people. A copious spring, gushing 
forth from the base of a small hill of solid rock, main- 
tains a bountiful supply of excellent water. Henry 
Clay Trumbull, after re-discovering the spot, established 
its identification with the actual site in the mind of the 
Biblical writer. 
The Life of Israel at Kadesh. 

The importance of Kadesh in the traditions concern- 
ing the years which preceded Israel's advance upon 
Canaan is indicated by such allusions as that found in 
Judges 11 : 16 or in the corrected rendering of Deuter- 
onomy 33 : 2, where the "ten thousands of holy ones" 
should read "Meribah of Kadesh," as in 32 : 51. It was 
at Kadesh that the organization of the people by Moses 
was continued. Genesis 14 : 7 identifies with Kadesh the 
name "The Fountain of Decision," a descriptive name 
which naturally implies that Kadesh was in Hebrew tra- 
dition a site which was either a place at which the will 
of Jehovah could be ascertained with great accuracy and 
readiness, or a place which had been distinguished as 
an administrative center. It is natural to think of 
Moses as occupying Kadesh and from it as a center 
completing his work of instruction. It is unlikely that 



S6 Historical and Expository Notes 

the oasis was the resting-place of all Israel; it was 

rather, perhaps, a convenient headquarters and rallying- 

point. 

The Scantiness of our Record. 

For the actual life of Israel during this transitional 
period we are forced to fall back upon the constructive 
imagination. Any careful reader will see that the story 
is told in the Bible almost wholly from the standpoint 
of religious instruction. The narrative in the book of 
Numbers preserves no details for their historical im- 
portance, but relates the incidents of the sending out of 
spies, the panic, the rebellious attitude of the people, 
their doom, their impulsive determination to advance, 
and their repulse, with a view of illustrating the weak 
faith and instability of the people. Moreover, between 
the first and the twenty-second verses of the twentieth 
chapter of Numbers we are to place, according to the 
narrator, the thirty-eight years of sojourn at Kadesh. 
We have simply to remember that the Israelites were or- 
ganized on the nomadic basis, that their distinctive cus- 
toms and ideas were those of nomads. It is therefore 
probable that the greater part of the people were roam- 
ing during this interval over the adjacent desert, re- 
turning periodically, as nomads do to-day, to this 
favored and popular oasis. 
The Outbreak against Moses. 

The records indicate repeated acts of rebellion against 
their great leader. A careful reading of Numbers 16 
reveals a double conspiracy against his authority, of 
Korah on the one hand and of Dathan and Abiram, the 
princes, on the other, both being sternly and successfully 
quelled. Such jealous outbreaks were to be expected 
from the natural tribal leaders. We have reason to think 
that these were only typical of many more. They were 
promptly ignored in the main by our writers, since they 
only served to indicate and to emphasize the growing 
unification of the people, a unity not gained at the ex- 
pense of the proper independence of the class, but one 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson IS 87 

which may have interfered considerably with the arbi- 
trary authority of the clan leaders. Moses was work- 
ing for the higher unity of the people, that to which a 
common religious objective and common religious habits 
would contribute. 
The Foreign Element. 

The Israel of David and Solomon was a people of 
widely varying elements. The traditions recognize the 
constant influx of those of non-Israelitish birth from 
the very beginning. The sojourn in the desert of which 
our lesson treats afforded an opportunity for such ad- 
dition of which the nomad population was not slow to 
take advantage. Israel had great assimilating power, 
because of the simplicity of her organization and the 
variety of her type. The absorption of Kenites and 
other foreigners only broadened and made sturdier the 
Israelitish type. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

About eighteen months had passed since the renewal 
of the Covenant. Much had taken place in that time. 
Moses had received the pattern, and erected the taber- 
nacle. The nation had been consolidated upon the basis 
of the covenant. So far as outward organization is con- 
cerned, Israel is ready to enter and possess the land. 
The order has gone forth to strike tents, and take up 
the march. The incidents of our lesson occurred at 
Kadesh-barnea, on the very border of the Land of 
Promise. 
The Rebellion of the People. 

The sending of the spies was really a test of the con- 
dition of the people, not that God might discover that 
condition, but that He might reveal it to them. This 
was the perpetual principle of His dealings with them. 
He led them to humble them, to prove them. God 
knew the land, and the conditions existing therein. He 
also knew perfectly the true condition of their heart, 



88 Historical and Expository Notes 

and that though the external organization was complete, 
they were not ready for possession, and were unfit for 
the strenuous demands which would be made upon them. 

These facts known to Him, must be demonstrated to 
them, and for that reason twelve are chosen, one out of 
each tribe, to go up and view the land. In examining 
their report let us notice what they all saw, what ten 
saw, and what two saw. 

They all saw the land fruitful, and flowing with milk 
and honey. They all saw walled cities. They all saw 
the Nephilim, or giants, inhabiting the land. 

Ten of them saw themselves as others saw them. "We 
were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so were we in 
their sight." Comparing themselves with the foe, they 
became conscious of how they looked in the sight of the 
foe, and the result was cowardice and fear. 

Two of them saw themselves as God saw them. "We 
are able to overcome it .... If Jehovah delight in us, 
then he will bring us into the land and give it unto us." 
That tells the whole story of difference. Ten omit God 
in their estimate of the forces, and difficulties are magni- 
fied into impossibilities. Two include God, and victory 
became certain. Yet the proportion was ten to two, and 
this meant the utter unfitness of the people. Murmur- 
ing against God and rebellion against Moses followed, 
and but for the direct intervention of Jehovah, the ten 
would have slain the two. 

Thus the whole scene reveals their incapacity to ac- 
complish that which God determined concerning them. 
Jehovah accepts their valuation of themselves. If in 
the making of that valuation they exclude Him, then 
they cannot overcome, and consequently must not be 
permitted to attempt it. When presumptuously, and in 
spite of their revelation, they made the attempt, they 
were defeated. 

The Intercession of Moses. 

On this occasion Moses again appears as an inter- 
cessor with God. And here again the fundamental rea^ 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 18 89 

son of his intercession is the same. He pleads with 
God for the honor of the name of God among the peo- 
ple. There is, however, an added argument in his in- 
tercession. He pleads with Him that He shall fulfil in 
the experiences of the people that revelation which He 
made of Himself to Moses on the occasion of his former 
mediation. His quotation here of the gracious terms of 
that revelation is full of interest. The fuller knowledge 
of God which came to him then, becomes a new ground 
of successful appeal in this hour of trial. 
The Divinely Inflicted Punishment. 

And finally the lesson reveals to us the same un- 
changing Jehovah. His purpose must be accomplished 
even though it tarry. Evil must be judged, and the 
judgment is according to the thought of the men who 
are unworthy and unfit. Excluding God from their cal- 
culation they expected to die in the wilderness. So 
shall it be. And yet there is discrimination in the car- 
rying out of the sentence. Caleb and Joshua are ulti- 
mately to enter the land. There is also a touch of rare 
beauty in the words, "Your little ones that ye said 
should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall 
know the land which ye have rejected." Their false 
pity for their children supposed that they would be 
involved in their own catastrophe. God's true love for 
the children delivers them from the penalty of the sins 
of the fathers, 



90 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 19. MOSES AND THE n ARCH TO CANAAN. 
The Conquest East of the Jordan. Scripture Section, 
Num. 20; 1-22: 1; Deut. ch. 34 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Kinsmen of Israel. 

Underlying all theories of the origin of Israel are 
three facts : That a large proportion at least of the Is- 
rael which reached the land of Canaan had spent some 
time in the desert just before; that this desert sojourn 
left its mark upon them in many ways, exhibited by 
their long persisting social organization after the clan 
type, many special observances and a passionate love 
of personal freedom; and that they absorbed during 
their sojourn an unknown number of non-Israelites in- 
to their own ranks. 

One other fact is emphasized by this lesson, viz., the 
recognition by Israel of her kinship with the semi- 
nomadic peoples, the Edomites and Moabites, as well as 
other clans which wandered in the desert regions. With 
them she did not care to quarrel; their interests she 
made her own; their peril she shared; their enemy she 
conquered. 

The Amorites. 

About the earliest population of Canaan we know very 
little. The names Emim, Zuzim, Kephaim, afford no 
real insight into ethnological problems. And in any 
case this earlier population had been to a large extent 
annihilated or absorbed in the unending series of invas- 
sions and conflicts which were the portion of unhappy 
Canaan for the century or more preceding the days of 
Joshua, and left it a depleted, weakened, disorganized 
land. 

Such a situation was a signal to outside powers. 
Egypt, exhausted by her successful repulses of the "bar- 
barians" from the north, and threatened by the rise of 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 19 91 

a strong empire in Ethiopia, wholly abandoned her Asi- 
atic ambitions for several centuries. Babylonia, checked 
by her growing vassal kingdom, Assyria, no longer made 
attempts at control of the "coast land." The foes of 
Canaan were of lesser magnitude. The Biblical narra- 
tives mention the Amorites, whom many regard as 
really Canaanites, as pressing down southward into 
Canaan and seeking new homes. The Egyptian records 
of the preceding generations testify to such an advance 
into Canaan of notable enemies. Whence they came is 
still obscure. The Israelitish clans also pressing for- 
ward from the south came into conflict with them. 
The Conquest of East-Jordan. 

Under these circumstances the Biblical narrative of 
the conquest of East-Jordan finds support. If the 
original possessors of this extensive country had been 
dispossessed and driven out, as the narrative of Num- 
bers 21 implies, by the Amorites, the swiftness of the 
conquest by Israel is fairly well explained. The war was 
between two rivals each prepared for battle and risking 
its whole future upon the result. The Amorites were 
defeated, their leaders destroyed, their lands appropri- 
ated, and the bulk of their people, no doubt, absorbed. 
Even so the campaign was extraordinarily brief, since 
the region in which the war was waged is a rugged, 
readily defensible country. Self-confidence begotten of 
continued success may have led the Amorites to neglect 
precautions and to offer their wily and resourceful op- 
ponent, Joshua, chances of which he was not slow to 
avail himself. 

That in some form the conquest was really accom- 
plished the history of Israel shows. In Saul's day the 
inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead (1 Sam. 11) affirmed their 
kinship to Israel. The son of Saul (2 Sam. 2) fled to 
Mahanaim, just as David did (2 Sam. 17:24; 19:32) 
years later. All Gilead was naturally loyal to the dy- 
nasty which reigned. The inhabitants of East-Jordan 
were not foreigners, but faithful Israelites* 



9« Historical and Expository Notes 

The Personality of Moses. 

With the beginning of the conquest the real leader- 
ship passed from Moses to Joshua. Yet in many re- 
spects the last year of the great moulder of his people 
was the greatest. It testified to his farsightedness that 
the simple, desert type of life was not satisfactory to 
him. It was more easily controlled but less capable of 
development. It could not produce a people capable of 
wide usefulness. The approach to Canaan tested also 
his resourcefulness, diplomacy and power of decision. 
He avoided unnecessary collisions with Edom and Moab, 
but struck the Amorites at the right time. 

But Moses is to be tested by his whole career. 
Whether it shows him to have been the greatest genius 
that Israel ever produced may be disputed, but he was 
unquestionably one of the first three. He was a born 
leader of men, sympathetic yet commanding, an organ- 
izer, yet capable of taking a foremost place in action, 
fair-minded, yet of abundant energy, patient, yet per- 
sistent. His best qualities were native to him, yet he had 
all the advantages of heritage and training. His great- 
est achievement was his successful stamping of the Is- 
raelitish consciousness with a sense of loyalty to Jehovah 
and an expectancy of service to be rendered in His 
name. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

The history of the people here chronicled is full of 
interest. It stands forth among the most thrilling 
pages of the nation's story. With all their experience 
of God and of their own unfitness, we find the same mis- 
takes constantly recurring. Incapacity is, apparently, 
so deeply rooted, that instead of reforming under the 
wise leadership of Moses, they seem more confirmed in 
their habits of blundering. Murmurings, defeats, re- 
pentance, songs and victories, these are the records 
which tell the story of their doings. Yet God is ever 
seen full of resource, delivering- them from self-provoked 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 19 93 

calamities, and with infinite patience chastising Israel 
toward perfection. 

On the other hand, we see the limitations of human 
greatness. Moses the superb leader, incomparable in ex- 
treme difficulties, now pathetically fails. Anger over- 
throws judgment, and impatience brought defeat. 

The Failure of Moses. 

The murmuring of the people drove him to God. As 
in days past, so now, he turns to Jehovah with his diffi- 
culties. From God he received explicit directions, how 
and what to do. These directions proved the unfailing 
patience, the long-suffering mercy of the Lord. Not a 
word was spoken by Jehovah to justify the anger of 
Moses. Yet in the carrying out of these instructions a 
spirit of indignation was manifested, both in his strik- 
ing the rock instead of speaking to it, and in his ad- 
dress to the people, "Hear now, ye rebels, shall we 
bring you forth water out of this rock?" The psalmist 
gives us a key to the fault, "he spake unadvisedly with 
his lips" (Ps. 106:33). He manifested a spirit of an- 
ger where God had only shown pity. Hence the Divine 
judgment, "Ye shall not bring this assembly into the 
land which I have given them." 

It is a most solemn and searching revelation. There 
seemed to be such good cause for anger. These people 
were so trying and full of complaint. Yet a provoked 
and angry spirit is utterly out of place in the presence 
of wrong. There is to be no compromise with evil, but 
evil cannot be rebuked by a spirit which is evil in itself. 
Wrong is never the divine agent for accomplishing 
right. Sin has no ministry in the kingdom of God. 
How graphically this reveals the fact that the matter 
of supreme importance in a life is its temper and tone ! 
A passion for righteousness exhibiting itself in un- 
righteous anger is in itself unrighteous. 

The punishment was severe both to Moses and Aaron, 
who neither of them were permitted to enter that land 
toward which their eyes had been set in wistful longing. 



94 Historical mid Expository Notes 

They also could not enter in because of unbelief, which 
manifested itself in a spirit which being contrary to the 
mind of God, proved essential lack of confidence in Him. 
The Passing of Moses, 

The punishment is exhausted in the exclusion from 
the land. Beyond that the story of the going of these 
brothers is full of beauty. Aaron saw the continuity of 
his office indicated in the robing of his son, and then in 
the company of his brother and son, died on the moun- 
tain top. The picture of Moses' passing is truly magnifi- 
cent : in possession of all his faculties ; in the very act 
of communion with God; viewing actually though at a 
distance that land toward which he had moved in faith ; 
then dying, and being buried by God in a great seclu- 
sion free from all intrusion. 
Lessons. 

Disobedience bears its fruits in the very best of men. 
The matter of greatest importance in any life, and the 
most difficult to realize, is the temper which co-operates 
in tenderness with God, even in the midst of the most 
provoking circumstances and people. 

How perpetually the very best men fail of the highest 
through some shortcoming in spirit ! It is indeed the 
perpetual story of human life even in its successes. So 
near to a promised land, and yet shut out because of a 
lacking quality. Only One Person in all history has 
ever gone quietly on until the utmost goal was won. He 
could say, "All authority hath been given unto Me." 

Yet it is almost impossible to study this lesson with- 
out thinking of the transfiguration, and how the Son in 
His perfection brought Moses in to stand where in his 
own right he had failed to stand. 

He also will bring us by His grace into all we fail 
of, if we trust Him even about our failures. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 20 95 

Lesson 20. JOSHUA THE COURAGEOUS LEADER. 
Israel Entering the Promising Land. Scripture 
Section, Josh. chs. 1-4 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

From the Desert to Canaan. 

It was a momentous transformation through which 
Israel passed when the people exchanged the desert as 
a home for the fertile land of Canaan. It was the trans- 
ference from a nomadic to an agricultural civilization, 
the beginning of a far-reaching change in relationship, 
customs and ideals, a change which brought evil results 
as well as good, but was essential if the clans of Israel 
were to become a nation and that nation a leader. 

The thirty-second chapter of Deuteronomy is a stir- 
ring story in verse of this change, of its immediate effect 
upon Israel, an interpretation of its significance, and a 
declaration of the obligation which it laid upon the na- 
tion. 

The Conquest of West-Jordan. 

That the Israelites crossed the river Jordan and took 
gradual possession of all Canaan is unquestionable. By 
the days of Eli and Samuel they were evidently regard- 
ed by the Philistines as the sole possessors of the land. 
But the books of Joshua and Judges give evidence of 
the fact that for a long time, perhaps for several gen- 
erations after the initiation of the conquest, the Canaan- 
itish inhabitants held their own, particularly in the 
plains. On the fair principle of interpreting a book by 
itself the student discovers that certain passages in the 
book of Joshua which apparently testify to the sweeping 
destruction of the Canaanites and the dashing conquest 
of the land must be interpreted as generalizations. 
There was a conquest and a bloody one, but not as com- 
plete nor as merciless as first impressions suggest. 

As in case of other historical episodes referred to by 



gS Historical and Expository Notes 

the Biblical historians, the narrative of the conquest 
given in the book of Joshua is one-sided. The actual 
conquest was a much more complex affair. Besides the 
bold and rapid advance under Joshua's leadership, there 
were many unchronicled sallies on a small scale, result- 
ing in the lodgment of Israelitish groups on the coveted 
soil. There is a tendency among scholars to recognize 
one only of these methods, to describe the conquest as 
made piecemeal in the course of a generation or two, 
without any battles, and under no distinctive leader- 
ship, or to declare that it was sudden, cruel and sweep- 
ing, a campaigning directed by Joshua. There is good 
reason for thinking that both methods were actually put 
in practice. 

The Personality of Joshua. 

The leader Joshua is the hero of one of the finest por- 
traitures of the Old Testament. Like that of Jacob, its 
excellence has caused suspicions of its reality. It seemed 
to be made to order. Without some such personal lead- 
ership, however, it is difficult to explain the continuing 
sense of unity which characterized the people as a whole, 
however scattered and independent, or their location by 
principal groups at the truly strategic centres of west- 
ern Palestine, or the confidence and prowess which they 
exhibited at times of genuine stress under one who had 
the gift and tradition of leadership. These results do 
not come by chance. The earliest narratives of the con- 
quest make Joshua the leader of one section of the peo- 
ple, that which established itself on the hills of Central 
Palestine. It was the most representative section and 
the most powerful. With it Joshua's influence was 
dominant. His straightforwardness and simplicity 
made him an apt successor to Moses, wholly faithful to 
his leader's traditions. 

The Point of Attack. 

The narrative in Joshua fits together. The armed 
invasion of Western Palestine by Joshua and his follow- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 20 97 

ers requires a crossing over the Jordan near Jericho. 
From no other spot could an attacking force achieve 
results so rapidly as from that region. From it radiated 
the natural passageways up into the heart of the coun- 
try. The traditions credit Joshua with decision, cour- 
age and energy, but testify as well to the shrewdness 
with which the preliminaries to his campaigns were ar- 
ranged. Jericho, according to all accounts, required no 
strategy; it was not conquered by the army. Joshua 
did not make it his base of operation, but established a 
permanent camp as a more suitable and more readily 
defended site. Then he was ready for the campaigns 
which should quell all opposition to the settlement of 
the Israelites in the land. 

IS. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfielti, Mass. 

The history of Israel now enters upon a new period. 
The whole unbelieving generation has passed away, 
Joshua and Caleb alone remaining according to the di- 
vine promise (Num. 14:30). The last hindrance to 
entrance was Moses. All other things being ready, God 
has removed him, and the word comes to his successor, 
"Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise." 

Our present lesson has to do with the appointment 
of Joshua as the first action. The nation must see and 
feel that the mantle of Moses has fallen upon Joshua. 
We have therefore in this election to leadership, sub- 
jects of great importance. They may be considered in 
connection with: 

1. The Commission of Joshua by God. 

2. The Recognition of Joshua by the People. 

3. The First Movement. 

1. The Commission of Joshua by God. 

In the divine economy the moment and the man ar- 
rive coincidentally. This is the one certainty. As soon 
as Moses is dead, Joshua is commanded to arise. How 
often it is impossible to find the man until the moment 



98 Historical and Expository Notes 

comes for his appearing ! Frequently men cannot name 
a successor when the question arises prospectively, "Who 
will take up this work?" The whole history of the 
world reveals how constantly God finds him in unex- 
pected places. It would be utterly false, however, to 
lay this down as an invariable rule. The present case 
is a remarkable exception. The appointment of Joshua 
is one of the instances of natural succession. For forty 
years he had been closely associated with Moses in all 
the great work of leading this people. He was "Moses' 
minister" (1:1), and consequently familiar with the 
responsibilities of office. 

The lesson of importance here is that the man that 
God finds is the man qualified for the work. If he al- 
ready have the relation of natural succession, then he is 
appointed. If, on the other hand, no such man is in 
view, then he will be found where men are not looking 
for him. 

The appointment of Joshua is characterized by re- 
markable promises made to him, and clearly defined re- 
sponsibilities laid upon him. These promises are to be 
found in Josh. 1 : 3, 5, 9. They are comprehensive and 
inspiring. Complete conquest and divine companion- 
ship are to be his "whithersoever he goeth." But note 
the responsibilities. If the promise be that every place 
the sole of his foot treads on is given to him, his re- 
sponsibility is to set the sole of his foot upon the place. 
If the promise is that no man shall be able to stand be- 
fore him, the responsibility is that he faces these foes 
as a courageous leader. 

Then, moreover, there are responsibilities as to per- 
sonal character. He is to be strong and courageous, 
and this strength and courage are to be the outcome of 
his obedience to the law, which in turn is to be main- 
tained by a perpetual meditation thereupon. 

2. The Recognition of Joshua by the People. 

His first relation to the people is a revelation of his 
obedience to God. On the evidence of this authority 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 20 99 

men listen to his words. He commands that they pre- 
pare to move forward, and immediately there is the re- 
sponse of obedience. Like begets like. It is to such 
authority, expressive of submission to a higher, that the 
people are ever willing to submit themselves. Sincerity 
never speaks in vain. The divine force behind truth 
is realized in whatever form it appears before men. The 
secret of power to lead is power to obey. Be, and 
through us God will do. 

3. The First Movement. 

The first movement in the leadership of Joshua is 
characterized by his caution, his confidence, and his 
courage. Cautiously he sends spies to Jericho. In con- 
fidence he announces that God is about to do a great 
thing, and therefore the people must consecrate them- 
selves to him. His courage is manifested in that even 
before the wonder-working power of God is seen, he 
marshals the people, and sets them in order. All this 
reveals the preparation of the man for his work. It is 
immediately answered by God in the great deliverance 
wrought. The moral effect of this first movement upon 
the people with regard to their relation to Joshua is de- 
clared in the words, "On that day Jehovah magnified 
Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him 
as they feared Moses all the days of his life." A radi- 
ant revelation of the truth that whosoever may be called 
to leadership in the enterprise of God, has but to mag- 
nify Jehovah before the people to be magnified of Je- 
hovah in the eyes of the people. 



too Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 21. JOSHUA IN CANAAN. The Conquest 
West of the Jordan. Scripture Section, Josh. 
chs. 5-11 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

Joshua the Soldier. 

The narratives of the book of Joshua describe the 
leader of the attacking party as a good soldier. It was 
good military strategy to penetrate the hill-country of 
western Palestine from the vicinity of Jericho because 
the natural defenses of the country were adjusted to 
invasions from South or North, because no one could 
surely anticipate by which of several passes he would ad- 
vance, and because the capture of a stronghold on the 
ridge of the hill-country would divide the forces op- 
posed to him, enable him to reduce them in sections, and 
give him a lodgment in the very heart of the land. 

These narratives enable us to praise his methods as 
well as his genius. He "rose up early," or marched all 
night and took his foes by surprise. His blows were de- 
cisive. He followed up a victory until the tributary 
territory was conquered, and the dangerous leaders 
slain. From the fact that the book of Judges reports 
the Canaanites in active and even dangerous possession 
of localities reported as thoroughly conquered by 
Joshua, it is probable that except in cases of prolonged 
resistance he contented himself with the submission of 
the inhabitants. 

The conquest was not, however, a mere matter of 
clever strategy or military skill. Joshua felt that he 
was fighting Jehovah's battles as His lieutenant, the true 
leader of the host being Jehovah the God of battles 
(5 : 13 ff.). There was no pretense about it. The spirit 
of Cromwell in his struggle for popular liberty was that 
of Joshua in his endeavor to settle his people in a land 
which a century of fierce warfare had depopulated and 
ravaged, and which invited the appropriation of a home- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 21 101 

seeking people. The Canaanitish inhabitants in no 
sense occupied the territory. With few exceptions they 
held the plains, while the Israelites established themselves 
upon the hills, which were theirs for the taking. 

The Campaigns. 

Western Palestine divides naturally into three por- 
tions, and historically has always been so divided. 
Judea, Samaria, and Galilee were only successors of 
Judah, Ephraim and the North. The line of separation 
between the first two sections is practically a line drawn 
across at Bethel from the Jordan to the Plain. When 
Joshua had captured Ai, Bethel and Gibeon, he had 
wholly separated the southern Canaanites from those of 
the central section. The battle of Beth-horon put an 
end to the organized opposition in the South. Josh. 
8: 30-35; 19: 50 and 24: 16-18 imply the similar 
conquest of the central hill-country. Chapter 11 refers 
to a northern campaign. With these three successful 
campaigns a foothold was achieved, firm upon the hills, 
precarious on the plains. 

The Real Result. 

The first chapter of Judges gives an accurate rescript 
of the resulting conditions in Western Palestine. The 
earlier population, by the very configuration of the coun- 
try, was segregated, even where it was reasonably 
strong, into little groups, which did not unite for any 
purpose whatever. Only at or near the great plain of 
Esdraelon were the Canaanites strong enough to medi- 
tate a general movement against the Israelitish invaders. 
Through the country as a whole the two peoples dwelt 
side by side, the Israelites gradually assimilating the 
weaker Canaanites. This was a slow process for the 
first generation or so, but thereafter was so speedy that 
the Canaanite was only a vague tradition in the days 
of the double monarchy. 

The Promised Land. 
In this curious way Israel came to her own, to the 



102 Historical and Expository Notes 

land which she needed as much as the enterprise and in- 
telligence of the Old World needed North America. 
Palestine was Israel's opportunity. Situated so as to 
be sensitive to every phase of the progress of the world 
of that day, the nation was forced to make its ideas of 
God expand with this progress. It became the great 
interpreter of God in His world to the world. 

Israel did not find Palestine altogether a paradise. 
Its "milk and honey" flowed only here and there. It 
was rather a land which spoke eloquently of God's prov- 
idence, "a land of hills and valleys which drinketh water 
of the rain of heaven, a land which Jehovah, thy God 
careth for: the eyes of Jehovah, thy God, are always 
upon it from the beginning of the year even unto the 
end of the year." It was the land of promise. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

This lesson gives us a page full of interest. It is 
characterized by remarkable evidences of the military 
genius of Joshua. His rapid movement to the centre of 
the land, and the capture of Jericho and Ai, followed 
without any hesitation by the conquest of the south, 
and then by that of the north against the confederacy of 
kings, is among the most conspicuous pages in the his- 
tory of warfare. No mistakes in leadership hinder the 
triumphal march of Israel's warriors. We hear the 
tread of an invincible army wisely led from victory to 
victory. 

There are important lessons for us along two lines of 
consideration : 

1. The Secrets of the Success. 

2. The General Meaning of the Whole Story. 

1. The Secrets of the Success. 

The first impression made by the study of the story 
is that of Joshua's consciousness of God, and his sub- 
sequent indifference to all the difficulties presenting 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 21 103 

themselves to him. Never does the magnitude of his 
task appal him. It has to be done, and he does it. 
With the exception of himself and Caleb, all the genera- 
tion of the people which at Kadesh-barnea had been 
more conscious of the difficulties than of God, has 
passed away. Forty years before these two men had 
seen God, and had believed in the possibility of realizing 
His purpose in spite of giants and walled cities. Now 
that Joshua is appointed leader, he acts in the power of 
this consciousness, and is seen victorious over every suc- 
cessive obstacle presented. 

This attitude is not due to any lack of appreciation on 
his part of the difficulties confronting him. On the con- 
trary, he is revealed to us as a man keenly conscious of 
their existence, seeing them in their bearings and un- 
derstanding their true nature. While therefore he acts 
in the consciousness of a divine commission, which al- 
ways means divine enabling, he nevertheless brings into 
play his natural skill and sound common sense. As we 
have seen, his strategic move of capturing the centre and 
moving out therefrom south and north, is evidence of 
his judgment and fitness to command. This natural 
fitness is conditioned by his unswerving loyalty to God, 
which expresses itself in dependence upon Him, and im- 
mediate obedience to His guidance. 

Through all the movements Joshua is seen as a man 
supremely conscious and determined that right relation- 
ships with God shall be fulfilled and maintained. His 
insistence upon the renewal of the rite of circumcision 
brings back the whole nation into recognition of the 
covenant relationships with God. His reading of the 
whole law in the presence of the people (8 : 34, 35) re- 
minds them ajrain that the terms of the covenant can 
only be fulfilled as they are obedient to the will of God 
in all the details of life. 

And yet once more. The severe and yet unnecessary 
discipline exercised in the case of Achan shows how 
conscious Joshua was that these people could not be 
victorious in the accomplishment of the divine work of 



104 Historical and Expository Notes 

purifying, while impurity obtained within their own 
ranks. Sin is sin wherever it exists, and must perish. 

2. The General Movement. 

In any study of this section, the original purpose of 
God must be remembered. This nation has been raised 
up in order that through them all the nations of the 
earth might be blessed. Their bringing into the land 
is not merely the bestowment upon them of a country for 
a possession, in order to which other nations are ruth- 
lessly swept out. 

The method which appears to be severe, and has often 
been criticised by near-sightedness, was absolutely 
necessary. The corruption of the land was great, and 
the only hope for posterity was the clearing out of a 
corrupt people, and the planting in their place of a 
people obedient to law, and living a life of cleanness and 
consequent strength. 

It was the process employed by the surgeon, when 
ruthlessly and yet carefully he cuts out that which is 
corrupt, in order to the restoration of health to the whole 
body. This larger outlook will reveal that the whole 
movement was one which proves the love of God for 
unborn generations. 

It is always necessary to read any present action in 
the divine government in the light of the whole pur- 
pose, and in its bearing on final issues. 

In order to co-operate with God in these great move- 
ments of His love, it is necessary that there shall be the 
fulfilment in personal life of the ideals presented to it. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 22 105 

Lesson 22. GIDEON THE HEROIC JUDGE. Israel 
Delivered from the flidianites. Scripture Section 
Jud. 6: 1-8:28. 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Days of the Judges. 

When a strong body of Israelites crossed over the 
Jordan, determined to obtain in Canaan suitable abiding 
places for themselves, a new era began for them as a 
people. The old nomadic life was past, although for 
many generations its stamp was to be discernible upon 
them. The realization of this fact of change is given 
expression in the fifth chapter of the book of Joshua. 
It was a change from desert life and custom to an agri- 
cultural, settled civilization, from life moulded on the 
whole by the usages of the clan to life which was grad- 
ually adjusted to the mixed community basis. On the 
earlier basis the growth of a real nationality was next to 
impossible. 

The change from a pastoral to an agricultural life, 
although significant and salutary, was attended by real 
danger. It meant a rise in civilization but the intro- 
duction as well to dangerously attractive debasing phases 
of religious life, all the more influential because encoun- 
tered in an organized form. The inhabitants of Canaan 
were a very religious people. They believed in a multi- 
tude of petty deities, each the patron of a district and 
the giver of its crops (Hosea 2:5). They were fond of 
religious festivals, which readily became revels. When 
the Philistines began to enjoy the resources of Canaan, 
had settled down in the midst of its established modes of 
social, civic and religious activity, and had begun the 
process of assimilation and absorption, they were sorely 
tempted to unite with the service of Jehovah the worship 
of local deities too. This was all the easier since, as 
Jephthah's naive remark (Jud. 11: 23, 24) indicates, 
the average Israelite was a monolater rather than a 
monotheist. He regarded Jehovah as his lawful deity, 



106 Historical and Expository Notes 

but did not question the existence of other deities, who 
had other and parallel responsibilities and territories. 
The conquest of Canaan did not prove to a thinker of 
that day that the Baals of that country were non-exis- 
tent, but only that Jehovah was a greater god. How the 
Israelites yielded to the influences of their environment 
is graphically told in the beautiful poem of the 32nd 
chapter of Deuteronomy, and more definitely alluded to 
by 1 Kings 14 : 23, 24; Hos. 9 : 10 ; 2 Kings 17 : 9-12. 
Duration and Significance of the Period. 

The length of the period from the death of Moses to 
the days of Samuel is quite uncertain, despite the ap- 
parent profusion of chronological data. Many of the 
numbers are conventional, forty years representing a 
generation or a period of time not accurately determin- 
able. Added together the duration of the "oppres- 
sions" and intervals amount to 410 years. It is alto- 
gether probable that some of the dominations were con- 
temporaneous, and that two centuries or so is a sufficient 
allowance of time for all that is related. 

This period was of a preparatory, intermediate char- 
acter. Israel was gradually finding herself, discovering 
at once her weakness and her strength, falling into temp- 
tation and struggling through it to a better basis of ex- 
istence. Eeligiously she borrowed from Canaanitish 
worship (although at heavy cost) a social interpretation 
of worship which the world has never ceased to ap- 
prove. Politically their adverse experiences forced 
upon the tribes a desire for union and a willingness to 
sacrifice some of their independence for the sake of it, 
thus opening the way to naturalization. 
Its Achievements. 

Israel's gradual ascendency over the Canaanites the 
book of Judges accounts for in three ways : good leader- 
ship, religious unity, and religious superiority. The 
leaders were of every type. Distinctive among them 
were Jephthah, Barak and Deborah, and Gideon, who 
doubtless represent many other equally resourceful Is- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 22 107 

raelites. The people were capable of true heroism. 
This they exhibit most notably under the influence of an 
appeal to their common loyalty to Jehovah. Such a 
motive rallied a number of the tribesmen to fight 
against the confederated Canaanites of the north (Jud. 
5). It stood the test of the very strong temptation to 
adopt the local deities. This faithfulness to Jehovah 
and to each other is the strongest possible proof that 
there was after all in the minds of the Israelites a con- 
sciousness of a difference — not strongly marked but 
real — between their own religious standards and those 
of their contemporaries. The work of Moses was not in 
vain. There were never wanting men, like Gideon, who 
could continue the spirit of his labors. The people 
gradually came together into a working unity. The 
two centuries of bitter experience was a period of ad- 
vance. The result was worth the cost. 
II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Nortfifleld, Mass. 
Introductory. 

The times have changed and the change has brought 
reverses to Israel. Instead of being victorious and in 
possession of the land, the Chosen People are harassed 
by marauders and sorely oppressed. The invincible host 
under Joshua is now a scattered band dwelling in caves 
and strongholds of their own making for safety. This 
condition is the result of infidelity to the covenant. 
Failing in their integrity Israel became a prey to their 
foes. Their enemies were never superior to Israel and 
Jehovah. They were always superior to Israel alone. 
Consequently with Israel's disloyalty came weakness and 
defeat, until in the bitterness of disaster they remem- 
bered Jehovah and cried for deliverance. Gideon is 
God's providential man, Jehovah's answer to the people's 
prayer. He comes as a reformer and deliverer. 

Gideon's Preparations. 
1, Notice first how God found this man in the cir- 



108 Historical and Expository Notes 

cumstances in which He invariably finds men whom He 
calls to conspicuous service. He is about his simple 
daily duty, and faithful to it, Seating out wheat in the 
winepress/' conscientiously discharging the common la- 
bors of the day. In this we have a revelation of the 
character of the man. Fidelity in the commonplace is 
the true proof of fitness for the special. The man faith- 
ful in that which is least has the capacity and endur- 
ance which mark him out for arduous work. Obscurity 
is the training ground for prominent service. 

2. In the midst of his daily work Gideon was pro- 
foundly conscious of the terrible degradation of his 
people, and deeply troubled and discontented. This 
very sense of need and discontent was his might (see 
6 : 13, 14) . It is when the iron has entered a man's 
soul, and he is conscious and ashamed of failure that he 
is prepared to act. Ignorance of that condition is re- 
sponsible for much inactivity, and apparent indifference, 
while the bitterness of shame often leads to awakening 
and mighty forces. 

3. When the divine call came he commenced his re- 
form in his own house, breaking down the altar of Baal 
there. There can be no public reformation which has 
not commenced in the area of personal life and respon- 
sibility. No arm is strong to smite evil in high places 
that has not demolished the idols of home. There must 
be no partiality in the treatment of wrongs, because of 
the place of their birth. 

4. Facing his new work Gideon keenly realized his 
own incompetence, and was deeply suspicious of him- 
self. This again is a prime necessity for co-operation 
with God. The sublime dignity of divine work creates 
a reverent humility, and throws a man absolutely back 
upon God for strength. One of the hardest lessons to 
learn, and yet one of the most necessary, is that of our 
own insufficiency. 

5. Finally he was determined to be sure of God, and 
so tested Him by the fleece, This exceeding cautious- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 22 109 

ness is the final proof of his strength. Happy is the 
man who so fears to move save in the divinely marked 
pathway, that he takes time to find out the will of God 
with certainty. 

Gideon's Power. 

1. Convinced by all tests of his divine appointment 
and equipment, he now dared everything for God. His 
whole action illustrates this. When once the heart is 
assured of a divine call, then there must be courageous 
conduct through which the purpose of God may be 
achieved. 

2. Not courage only, but disinterestedness, so far as 
personal ambition is concerned. The presence of this 
spirit through all is manifested in that, when victory 
was won, he declined to be made ruler, declaring that 
Jehovah was Euler alone. 

Gideon's Campaign and Victory. 

1. The sifting of his army under divine direction is 
a remarkable proof of his confidence in God. To a man 
who trusted in numbers rather than in God it would 
have been a terrible experience to see the thinning of 
the ranks. How much of the heartbreak of to-day is due 
to the substitution of hosts for the Lord of hosts ! 

2. The principle of sifting is not capricious but in- 
finitely wise. The men God cannot work with are those 
who are fearful and afraid, and those who take unneces- 
sary time over necessary things. Such principles of 
sifting would greatly thin the ranks of the church's sol- 
diers even to-day. 

3. The victory was of God, yet the stratagem made 
use of was another demonstration of the capacity of the 
human leader. Men should ever plan as though all de- 
pended upon them, and trust and obey, knowing that all 
depends upon God. 



no Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 23. SAMUEL'S FIRST HESSAGE FROH GOD. 
Religious Decadence in Israel Rebuked. Scripture 
Section, 1 Sam. chs. 1-4 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 
Religious and Social Conditions in Israel at this Time. 

To justly characterize the actual religious life of Is- 
rael at the time of Samuel's birth is not a simple matter. 
That the different tribes possessed along with their in- 
dependence and relative isolation, a sense of religious 
unity which could in emergencies be relied upon to bring 
them into a common relationship, has already been 
pointed out, as well as the fact that their bitter jealousy 
of one another prevented their loyalty to Jehovah from 
having its fullest effect. A true political unification was 
the natural precursor and accompaniment of a strong 
religious development. The former had been suggested 
during the days of Gideon (Jud. 8:22), and the idea 
of it supported both by the reverses of the people and by 
their achievements in war. The latter was no less clearly 
under way. 

In the narrative of the book of Judges we find exhib- 
ited varying types of religious development. There is 
no lack of a real religious feeling, but, as in the Middle 
Ages, this often took the form of a loyalty to Jehovah 
expressed by deeds rather than character. Samson 
deemed himself a loyal Israelite and a sincere follower 
of Jehovah when he was giving the Philistines the ut- 
most possible annoyance or danger. Jephthah fought 
stoutly for Gilead in Jehovah's name, yet acknowledged 
the equal dignity of Chemosh in his own territory (11: 
24) and believed that he must sacrifice human life rather 
than fail to fulfil a vow rashly made. The migrating 
tribe of Dan (ch. 18) did not wish to be without a priest, 
yet did not scruple to put to the sword a remotely sit- 
uated, unsuspecting community at Laish and take the 
city for themselves, nor to steal away from Micah, the 
Ephraimite, both his priest and his shrine. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 23 in 

The Real Religious Leaders. 

Over against these exhibitions of a crude, rude relig- 
ions feeling may be placed the notable manifestation of 
zeal, patriotism and religious fervor on the part of 
Deborah and Barak (ch. 5) and Gideon's true heroism, 
sustained by the thought of Jehovah's support (6:11- 
24) . The story of Euth and of the boyhood of Samuel 
introduce a picture of simple, serious, domestic religious 
life in Judah and in Ephraim which justifies the con- 
clusion that the book of Judges gives, after all, only 
one aspect of the situation. The age was rude : the peo- 
ple as a whole were busied with the struggle for main- 
tenance; but all the time there were forces at work 
which were fitting them for higher things. Soon after 
the initial conquests the working center of the religious 
life of the people had been transferred from Gilgal to 
Shiloh. There the tent of meeting (Josh. 18 :1) was 
set up. In time this was superseded by a more perma- 
nent sanctuary (1 Sam. 1 :9) of which the family of Eli 
was in full charge at the time of Samuel's birth. The 
annual feast of Shiloh, mentioned both in 1 Sam. 1:3 
and in Jud. 21 :19, fostered a sense of substantial 
unity, whether it was of universal interest or not. It 
kept alive traditional obligations. 

The Personality of Samuel. 

The most cogent argument for a well-defined relig- 
ious growth here and there is the unquestionable produc- 
tion of such personalities as Eli, Hannah and Samuel. 
It would seem that the writer of 1 Samuel realized this, 
for the story of the first four chapters is virtually a char- 
acter sketch. The aged priest was a genuinely good man, 
although unable to cope with the situation which con- 
fronted his declining days. The mother of Samuel is 
depicted as a woman of noble ideals and deep devotion. 
More than she did none could do in those days. Samuel 
was the worthy heir of such parentage. Reared in the 
midst of religious laxity, unrestrained greed, and un- 
blushing corruption, he remained absolutely pure- 



ii2 Historical and Expository Notes 

minded, sound of heart, and commendable in the sight 
of every one who knew him. But Samuel was also one 
of those rare religious leaders who are to be accounted 
for only in part by heredity, and who help to make en- 
vironments. His type was that represented by an Abra- 
ham or a Moses, one who is sensitive to God's presence, 
who can in truth receive Divine impressions and trans- 
late them into human speech and action. That he was 
of this sort all the people came to believe, hence there 
opened before him a possibility of influence which none 
of his immediate predecessors had been able to com- 
mand. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D.. Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The condition of affairs in Israel is now even more 
terrible than in the days of Gideon. The process of de- 
generation has gone very far forward. The supreme 
evidence of this is to be found in the appalling condi- 
tion of the priesthood. Hophni and Phineas, men of the 
regular succession, and actively engaged in the service of 
the sacred office, are guilty of the most terrible sins. 
What must have been the condition of the people ? The 
time for a new reformation and departure has come, and 
in the present lesson there is introduced the man who 
is to be the instrument of bringing it about. The most 
important lessons of the study are those which we learn 
concerning the methods of God in various ways. 
God's Judgment on Sin. 

The first impression is that of the sure judgment of 
God on sin. The defeat of the nation, the terrible and 
tragic death of Hophni, Phineas, Eli, and the wife of 
Phineas, together with the terrible name of the child 
born in the midst of the judgment — Ichabod — all teach 
the solemn and searching truth that covenant relation- 
ships cannot protect from nemesis when covenant re- 
sponsibilities are forgotten. Verily it is a fearful thing 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 23 113 

to fall into the hands of the living God. It is not the 
office which brings blessing, but the condition of those 
in it. The ark of the covenant is as useless as any or- 
dinary chest when all it represents is denied by the sin 
of a people. 
The Responsibility of Parents. 

The responsibility of parents is enforced in two ways. 
Hannah's devotion of her boy to God is a beautiful ex- 
ample of the true relationship. It is not given to all 
parents to give their children to the actual service of the 
sanctuary, but it is the privilege of all to give them to 
God. Does not the omission of this consecration of child 
life largely account for its loss to the Church, and for 
the absence of spiritual tuition in the home? Children 
definitely devoted to God, and then nurtured and trained 
in the light of that fact, must also, when at years of dis- 
cretion, personally submit themselves to Him, but it will 
be easier for them to do so because of this training. 
Happy indeed is the child who has been brought up as 
one devoted to God, and blessed are the parents who 
keep this aim in view in the training of child life. Eli 
is held responsible for the sins of his sons. It is a most 
solemn and awful fact, but it is a fact. The man as re- 
vealed would seem to be of easy and kindly nature, and 
therein was his failure. The charge against him is that 
"he restrained them not." It is of the essence of cruelty 
to allow any child to run riot in the way of his own in- 
clination, and parents doing so are held responsible by 
God. Let the solemn lesson be deeply pondered. 
God's Respect for Character. 

God's respect for character is manifested in His 
choice of Samuel, and His appearing to him. Here in- 
deed is a case of His hiding things from the wise and 
prudent, and revealing them to babes. He passed by all 
the priests, even though they were of His own appoint- 
ment, and to the child Samuel made revelations of su- 
preme importance to the nation, and that simply because 
of the child's loyalty to His laws, and purity of heart. 



ii4 Historical and Expository Notes 

One of the most terrible mistakes that men have con- 
tinued to make in successive ages is that of imagining 
that God is limited by mere officialism. He is always 
limited by character, not by caste. Personal integrity 
counts for more than does office. The only permanent 
channel through which divine communications run is 
the heart devoted to God. He will ever turn from king, 
priest and prophet, to shepherd, child or herdsman, 
where the former have violated truth and the latter are 
loyal thereto. By such action He cancels the authority 
of those from whom He turns, and transfers it to those 
whom He accepts. The only truly official position then 
is that of divine appointment, and the condition upon 
which He appoints is that of character. The pure in 
heart see God, and receive His revelation. Therefore 
He passed Eli, and appeared to the little child. 
Th© Divine Love. 

The supreme lesson of this study is that of the 
strength of the divine love which triumphs over all hu- 
man failure, and opens a new door of escape, even 
through judgment, in order that His sinning children 
might be restored, and His infinite purpose consum- 
mated. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 24 115 

Lesson 24. SAMUEL THE JUDGE AND SEER. The 
Beginning of a New Era in Israel. Scripture Sec- 
tion, 1 Sam. 7:2—12:25 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Philistine Invasion. 

The event which evoked and exhibited the influence of 
Samuel over the Israelites and revealed his power of 
leadership was the Philistine oppression. It was not an 
isolated event, but rather a continuous experience for 
more than a generation. The disaster of Aphek, which 
gave these resourceful and valiant foes of Israel their 
first grip upon the people of the hills of Ephraim, was 
but the culmination of repeated attempts at conquest. 
Its result was not a formal subordination of one people 
to the other, but the maintenance by the Philistines of 
strongholds in the heart of the Israelitish country 
(10:5), and innumerable raids and acts of petty vio- 
lence. 

The Philistines, so far as can be determined, entered 
Canaan by way of the seacoast from the direction of 
Egypt not far from the time when Israel was invading 
the land from the east-Jordan territory. It is generally 
supposed that at the breaking up of the horde of "bar- 
barians" from the north and west, which invaded Syria, 
Canaan and Egypt in the days of Merempthah and 
Eamses III, and which was by the latter decisively beaten 
and scattered, the Philistines were left stranded. They 
worked their way northward and settled on the coast west 
of the hills of Judah. Their interests became commer- 
cial ; they sought to dominate Israel in order to keep un- 
obstructed the caravan routes to the north and east. At a 
very early date their organization into five federated 
communities was complete. It proved to be effective, 
although not as much so as a kingdom with a ruler of 
the type of David. The Philistines developed more rap- 
idly than the Israelites and thus became dominant in 
the days of Samson and Eli. 



n6 Historical and Expository Notes 

Samuel's Leadership. 

To Samuel was due the credit of drawing together the 
disheartened Israelites and arousing their energy and 
ambition. How he achieved this result is not wholly 
clear. The chapters which tell the story (5 to 12) are 
based upon two traditions, not wholly homogeneous. 
The one which seems to be the older (9:1 to 10:16; 
11:1-13) describes Samuel as the seer of Eamah, hon- 
ored as God's "man," and widely influential, yet con- 
fronting (9:16) a deplorable political situation which 
demanded the strong hand of a military leader and the 
loyalty only to be evoked by a king (13 :3, 17-23). The 
other (7; 8; 10:17-27; 12) describes Samuel as one who 
rallied all Israel, repentant and devoted, took the ag- 
gressive with success against the Philistines, and then 
ruled them in peace and with justice during a long life, 
yielding toward its close rather reluctantly to the de- 
mand for a king. 

The exact harmonization of these traditions is not 
important. That they differ does not prove that either 
is without foundation. Each conveys the impression 
that Samuel's place among the Israelites — at least of 
the central tribes — had become influential in his later 
years. To him the people listened because they believed 
in him as a true representative of Jehovah's will. What- 
ever successes had been gained, however, under his lead- 
ership against the Philistines were but temporary. 
The logic of the situation in which the Israelites found 
themselves seemed to point toward the establishment of 
a kingdom. Samuel did not regard this solution as 
ideal ; he did yield to it as a practical measure. 

The Prophetic Order. 

Samuel's influence was founded, no doubt, upon his 
noble personality. He was one of those men whom 
every one trusts and follows. Yet he may have made his 
influence felt far and wide through the prophets whose 
recognized head (19:20) he was. These "prophets" 
were religious devotees, who drew no line between con- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 24 117 

secration and patriotism, who would naturally believe 
that zeal for Jehovah meant efficiency against the Phil- 
istines. With such men as agents Samuel's influence 
among the people would not be slight. There is, to be 
sure, no positive proof that he made use of them; but 
the view that he organized, trained and directed them 
is at least plausible. 
Saul's Real Patron. 

To declare, however, that Samuel was the one who 
originated and directed the movement which resulted 
in the establishment of Saul upon the throne is to gross- 
ly misinterpret the author of 1 Samuel. Samuel, he 
makes it clear, was but an agent. Not only did he fol- 
low divine instructions (9 :15, 16), but by the fulfilment 
of the predictions of Samuel (10:3-13), through the 
divinely guided lot (10:17-24), and by the opportunity 
given him to show to the people his powers of leader- 
ship, Saul was distinctly selected by God to be the king. 
As the spokesman of Jehovah Samuel was an important, 
even indispensable personality, but he was, after all, a 
lieutenant, although one rarely qualified for important 
achievement. 

II. ExposJtory Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

This lesson gives the account of another of those 
points of departure which changed the whole history of 
Israel. It was another move in the process of deterio- 
ration, and yet another link in the long chain of events 
which culminated in the coming of Messiah. 

After the account of a deliverance wrought by God 
under the dictatorship of Samuel, we have the story 
of the beginning of the period of the government by 
kings which ended so disastrously. 
The Lust of the People. 

The occasion arose in the corrupt practices of the sons 
of Samuel, a lamentable and distressing fact. The eld- 
ers feeling, and very properly, that this must be dealt 



n8 Historical and Expository Notes 

with, came to Samuel and demanded a king. Here, as 
so often has been the case, an attempt is made to do a 
right thing in a wrong way. Abuses can never perma- 
nently be corrected by methods which are in themselves 
wrong. While this afforded the occasion for the request 
for a king, the underlying reason thereof was quite dif- 
ferent. That was declared after Samuel has told them 
what a king would really mean, and they replied, "Nay, 
but we will have a king over us, that we may be like all 
the nations/' In that sentence the truth is revealed. 
They wanted to be like others, while God had called 
them in order that they might be unlike others, so that 
others might become like them. 

This has ever been the peculiar peril of the people of 
God, a desire for conformity to the ways of the world 
from winch they have been called out. It is ever due to 
dimness of spiritual vision, consequent upon failure of 
faith. It is always easier to believe in the greatness and 
power of things seen than of things unseen. Israel 
failed to realize her deficiency. She thought she be- 
lieved in God, but wanted some visible token and symbol 
of the Divine government. And why may not belief in 
God be aided by sight? Because anything intervening 
obscures the vision of faith. The world lives by sight. 
The people of God live by faith. When they become like 
the world in principle, they become like the world in 
practice. 

The Answer of God. 

The word of God to Samuel first clearly reveals His 
understanding of their action, "they have rejected Me." 
These people did not intend this, but directly man acts 
in disobedience, he himself does not understand the deep- 
est meaning of his own action. "When after long centu- 
ries God sent His King, the One for whom they should 
have waited, they rejected Him because they had already 
rejected God. Samuel acting under Divine instruction 
tells the people what a king will really mean. He will 
be one who will get instead of give. That is the whole 






Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 24 119 

story. Any authority substituted for that of God de- 
spoils man rather than blesses. Yet in answer to their 
persistent clamor God gave them a king. He does not 
vacate the throne. That He has never done, nor can 
He. If they will have a king, He will appoint him. 

The man He chose is one who exactly tills their mate- 
rial ideals. They have no royal house, so one of their 
own number must be selected. Saul was physically 
great, a living embodiment of all they were lusting for. 
When man wants something other than God, He gives 
them what they want, that their desire may work itself 
out along its own lines. If a man makes gold his god 
instead of God, in all probability he will get gold, until 
gold gets him and ruins him. If a man chooses the 
things seen, they will come to him and surround him, 
and at last blind him. Thus men and nations create 
their own destiny under the government of God. 

Yet the man Saul must have his chance, and by sol- 
emn and gracious circumstances he is prepared for his 
work. The meeting with Samuel, the anointing with 
oil, and principally the new heart are all in his favor. 
He has an opportunity of exercising kingship so as to 
restore the people to loyalty to God. His place is a 
dimcult one, but his equipment is sufficient. God never 
puts a man into trying circumstances without giving 
him all necessary equipment. ISTow Saul stands between 
the forces of mischief which clamored for him, and the 
powers of God which are given him. He must choose 
between them for his own making or unmaking. 



120 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 25. SAUL THE FIRST KING. His Unsatisfac- 
tory Reign. Scripture Section, 1 Sam. chs. 13-15 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

Saul's Kingly Qualities. 

The men of Israel, moved by dearly purchased expe- 
rience to realize that a working union of the tribesmen 
was essential to their safety and prosperity, gave to Saul 
a genuine welcome as their needed leader. Notwith- 
standing their unpreparedness for warfare with their 
hereditary foes they were willing to rally at his sum- 
mons. Good leadership made them a match for their 
Philistine oppressors. Saul's energetic espousal of the 
cause of the Israelites at Jabesh and the signal victory 
which he gained over the Ammonites (1 Sam. 11) gave 
the people confidence in his ability and courage. Saul 
had many royal qualities. He had a commanding pres- 
ence, a courage only equalled by his generosity, a 
promptness of decision and quickness of action which en- 
abled him to achieve results. So good a judge of men as 
Samuel believed in him, loved him and strengthened his 
hands. Few rulers have begun more auspiciously. 

The Reverse of the Portrait. 

Saul was not without his reasons for anxiety. He be- 
gan his reign on a small capital. The range of his au- 
thority was restricted. He had both to expel the Phil- 
istines and exclude the other foes of his people, and to 
extend his acknowledged sway over the south and north. 
Probably his kingdom was practically limited to the ter- 
ritory south of Esdraelon. Saul's ideas of royalty were 
limited. His palace was his ancestral homestead; his 
throne a seat under a convenient tree; his courtiers 
mainly his own retainers; his sceptre a spear. His ar- 
mies were levied in times of need, and were reliable so 
long as he continued to be victorious. Saul was a sol- 
dier, but not a sovereign. The social or moral or relig- 
ious upbuilding of his people he did not seem to con- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 25 121 

sider, but only their political fortunes and his own. 
This lack of statesmanship was accompanied by an ab- 
sence of self-control, which often turned his courage into 
rashness and his decision into stubbornness. Such a 
personality might be useful in the days when hard 
knocks were frequent, but would be inadequate to the 
large needs of days of real reconstruction. 

Saul's Achievements. 

It is much in Saul's favor that he held the love of 
the majority of his subjects through all vicissitudes. No 
unimportant asset to him was his lovable, fine, heroic 
son, Jonathan, who possessed all his father's virtues 
without his faults. He must have saved Israel's for- 
tunes more than once. 

We do not know the conclusion of the war against the 
Philistines. Doubtless hostilities were more or less in- 
termittent during the whole of Saul's reign. Meanwhile 
he won distinction for himself, and abundant spoil for 
his followers (2 Sam. 1 :24) on the expedition against 
neighboring nations (1 Sam. 14:47, 48). It was the 
prestige thus acquired that made him in time the king of 
Israel. The bond which held the tribesmen together was, 
however, a personal one. Saul had little or no genius 
for organization, but he did prepare the way for the 
easy achievement by a competent successor of a truly 
united nation. 
The Secret of His Failure. 

Saul was clearly doomed to failure. He was a one- 
sided man, quite out of sympathy with the religious im- 
pulse of his day and hence certain to get at odds with 
Samuel and some of the foremost men of his day. He 
was short-sighted. Deeming the Gibeonites to constitute 
a menace to his plans of unification, he made way with 
them by force, thus violating the ancient pledge of se- 
curity and making necessary an atonement of blood (2 
Sam. 21:1-14) before the moral sense of Israel could 
be satisfied. He was self-centered, suspicious and vin- 
dictive, unreasonable in his demands, unrestrained in 



122 Historical and Expository Notes 

his enmity. He allowed his inferior self to become his 
dominant self, and so could not develop into a ruler 
"after God's own heart." Had Saul been willing to 
make use of the political wisdom and religious and moral 
force available to his hand in his kingdom, he might 
have established a dynasty. He preferred to have his 
unrestricted will. 

It is to be said for Saul that the historian did him 
scanty justice. He really did much for his people. He 
secured the allegiance of Judah, so long independent of 
the other tribes. He gave his people confidence in them- 
selves. But he was unequal to the task which destiny had 
set for him, and it was, on the whole, far better for Is- 
rael that his successor was a man of opposite mould. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Nortufield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

Unsatisfactory indeed was the reign of Saul. So far 
as the people were concerned there seems to have been 
absolutely no gain. His victories were spasmodic and 
partial, all having to be won over again in subsequent 
years. His ability to govern his own people was a minus 
quantity. There were no internal reforms, and when the 
people sinned it was largely through his influence, and 
when they did heroic deeds it was without him, or in 
spite of him. 

The general lesson of the reign is that disobedience to 
the will of God on the part of a nation is always fol- 
lowed by its own punishment. The principal considera- 
tions, however, of this lesson are personal, and will be 
gathered from a study of Saul. He was a dire and dis- 
astrous failure, a man starting with much in his favor, 
and ending in the most borrible ruin. His failure be- 
gan at the beginning of his career as chosen king, and 
became more pronounced along the whole line until the 
tragic end. 
The Failure of Saul. 

This first manifested itself on the day of the public 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 25 123 

choosing of the king, when Saul concealed himself, not- 
withstanding his knowledge of his election and private 
anointing by Samuel. There is a mock modesty which 
is sinful, a hesitancy which betrays the absence of re- 
sponsiveness to the commands of God, a lack of confi- 
dence which disqualifies for leadership. No man has a 
right to shirk his duty from any cause whatsoever. Obe- 
dience must follow revelation. 

The next evidence of failure chronicled is that of his 
offering of the sacrifices in self-dependence in the ab- 
sence of Samuel. Here Saul goes to the other extreme, 
revealing a lack of judgment and impatience which led 
to his disregarding the commands of God. There can 
be no circumstances of sufficient urgency which warrant 
any man in disobedience to God. Notwithstanding the 
reproof of Samuel, Saul continued to disregard the 
word of Jehovah, and repeated his disobedience in the 
case of Agag and the Amalekite cattle, immediately fol- 
lowing this blunder by the sin of lying and contemptible 
meanness in charging the blame upon others. Later his 
degeneracy was marked by the rash oath which imperiled 
the safety of the life of Jonathan. And, further, be- 
yond the scope of the present lesson, yet so closely con- 
nected that it must be noticed, was his hatred and perse- 
cution of David, and finally the driveling appeal to a 
witch, and the desperate rush from life by practical sui- 
cide. These are glaring evidences of a failure that was 
constant. Through them we plainly see a man governed 
by the animal side of his being, gradually sinking lower 
and lower, making the most terrible wreckage of a great 
opportunity. 

The Lesson Suggested. 

A study of such a failure teaches us that advantages 
are not insurances of success. Everything seemed to be 
in his favor, and yet he disastrously failed. The value 
of privileges depends upon the use men make of them. 
Rightly employed, they bless. Misused, they sweep with 
the fury of an avalanche to destruction. To-day men 



124 Historical and Expository Notes 

may have personal endowments, splendid family connec- 
tions, the best of friends interested in them, and yet the 
only word to describe their lives is failure. Therefore 
it is important to learn the reasons of such failure, and 
to discover how they may be avoided and victory gained. 

Saul failed because he was never in the deepest facts 
of his life loyal to the government of God. That hiding 
away was the first proof. This issued in his inability to 
appreciate the best friends of his life, who were inva- 
riably men who were loyal to God. It moreover issued 
in his inability to understand his own opportunity. To 
him a king was at most a warrior. He lacked altogether 
appreciation of the necessity for the shepherd work of 
all true kinghood, that of caring for his people. The 
kingdom was to him a means to an end, and that end 
self-aggrandizement. 

Thus we learn that advantages and opportunities are 
only of value to men as their lives are God-centered. 
Whether it be king or priest, f orgetf ulness of God brings 
its own punishment. To such come the words "Thus 
saith the Lord Jehovah : Remove the mitre, and take off 
the crown" (Ezek. 21:26). No authority or advantages 
bestowed can be used apart from Him. The kingdom 
to which He introduces men cannot be governed by men 
in rebellion against Him. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 26 125 

Lesson 26. REVIEW OF LESSONS 14-25 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

From Moses to Samuel. 

The survey of a period, such as the studies of this 
second quarter have covered, from its close is especially 
salutary in that it enables the student to realize the slow 
but adequate progress for which Divine providence 
provides. 

The period has stretched over several centuries — no 
time at all in the slow-moving Orient. It included 
changes of far-reaching importance to Israel and to the 
world. For the Israelites who left Egypt and rendez- 
voused at Kadesh there was a transference from one en- 
vironment to another, which meant from one type of de- 
velopment to another, which meant from one set of am- 
bitions to another. The wonderful fact is that this 
change did not become a revolution. It was not a total 
severance of the relations of the earlier life, but a refor- 
mulation of what was significant in those relations on 
broader and more permanent lines. It was necessarily a 
transitional age, destined merely to prepare the way for 
experiences yet more permanent and fundamental. 

The Great Transition. 

In the days of Moses the Israelites were in all essen- 
tial respects a nomadic people. Even in Egypt they 
had lived as sojourners, yielding neither their clan or- 
ganization, their habits of life, nor their religious tradi- 
tions. Egypt never seemed to them a place of perma- 
nent abode. Their kindred were ever beckoning them 
away. When through the genius and wisdom of their 
noble leader, a true man of God, they gained their free- 
dom, they dwelt for some time in the desert. But the 
meagre life of the desert could not satisfy a people with 
such a leader and such a history. From the outset they 
craved a settled home. They made the way to Canaan 
where they entered upon a new life. Canaan was a land 



126 Historical and Expository Notes 

of agriculture as well as herding, of settled homes and 
family interests, of community life, of constant contact 
with well organized peoples against whose predatory at- 
tacks they had to maintain themselves. 

The Significance of the New Order. 

Politically this change was important. Clan or tribal 
relationship sinks all individuality and recognizes no al- 
legiance beyond the clan. It is a primitive stage of 
social order, valuable for protection but forbidding true 
social development and exalting a blind fidelity to tra- 
ditional experience. Israel was forced by bitter expe- 
rience to break down the tribal banners and enter upon a 
union which should enable a king to deal with the af- 
fairs of the people as a working unity. Saul's reign was 
a transition from tribal independence to a true mon- 
archy. Its collapse exhibited the essential weakness of 
the tribal theory and paved the way for a well -organized 
kingdom. 

Socially the settlement in Canaan was important. It 
brought Israel into contact with a higher, better organ- 
ized civilization with which it had to amalgamate. It 
was a joyous, friendly type of community life. Its op- 
portunities for the acquisition of wealth through tillage 
of the soil and through trade operated powerfully to 
broaden Israelitish social traditions, and to substitute 
the community or city for the family or clan as the rec- 
ognized social unit. 

Eeligiously Canaan meant decadence from the Mosaic 
ideals, at least for a time. The people were tempted to 
adopt the gods of Canaan along with the land. In the 
end they remained loyal to Jehovah as their continuing 
source of blessing, but had adopted in His worship many 
of the more attractive elements of local religious prac- 
tice. The patriarchal simplicity of worship, native to 
the desert, was replaced by a more elaborate cult, re- 
flected, indeed, in the religious codes of Exodus 20 and 
34, and on the whole a normal improvement. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 26 127 

The Dominant Personalities. 

Several men stand out as leaders in this historical 
development. They would be conspicuous in any age. 
They knew their people, realized the actual conditions 
and supplied the needed impulse for an advance. Be- 
hind them were scores and hundreds of capable, self- 1 
sacrificing people. Joshua, Jonathan, Hannah, Gideon, | 
Deborah, Aaron, Jethro and many others deserve honor. ] 
But there was need of such unusual men as Moses and 
Samuel to serve as God's pioneers in administration. 

The Results. 

The age was one of rich experience. It was a rude 
and crude yet growing age. Its emphasis was upon or- 
ganization rather than revelation. The ideas of the peo- 
ple regarding Jehovah remained very primitive. They 
were readjusting themselves to their novel environment 
and reinterpreting their knowledge. They were grad- 
ually finding themselves, and thus preparing for a 
marked advance. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The exercise of reviewing the lessons is a good one. 
A retrospective glance will emphasize truths imperfectly 
comprehended in their development. Completed, we 
look back over incidents "fitly framed together." In- 
stead of parts, we have the whole. We see the Divine 
movement maintained with unfailing regularity, for 
notwithstanding human conditions and instrumentali- 
ties, the continuity of the purpose, plan and power of 
God sublimely come into vision. 

A Retrospect From the Human Standpoint. 

Glancing at the nation as a nation, we have seen it 
emerge from a mob of freshly freed slaves without a 
country, into a constituted monarchy settled in its own 
land. Its triumphs are without parallel. Yet there is 
hardly one picture of national greatness and heroism. 



128 Historical and Expository Notes 

It is a long continued story of murmuring, idolatry, 
cowardice, and disobedience. The realization of their 
nationality is rather in spite of them, than through any 
excellencies within them. We look in vain for the ex- 
planation of success in the nation itself. It is a disap- 
pointing and provoking people — blind to the advantages 
of Divine government, and irresponsive to the ideals of 
Divine life. 

From the rank and file, five names stand conspicu- 
ously out, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, and Saul. 
The first four were the men through whom the will of 
God was made known to the people. The principles of 
their greatness, in each case, were those of unswerving 
confidence in God, constant communion and loyal co-op- 
eration with Him. All they were by natural endowment 
counted, because used under His guidance. The last 
stands out as a contrast in each respect save that of 
natural endowment. Saul having all in his favor yet 
failed through lack of confidence, failure in communion, 
and refusal to co-operate with God. Talents without the 
power which God puts into consecrated life, are poor 
substitutes for the omnipotence which "can do all 
things/' Hence Saul's life is an emphasis of the truth 
"Without me ye can do nothing." 

A Retrospection from the Divine Standpoint. 

Over all the human failure God is seen enthroned and 
acting in patience, in determination, and in order. His 
patience needs no proof. Through every disappoint- 
ment and disaster which brought Israel to shame, the 
long-suffering patience of Jehovah is manifested. His 
determination is evidenced in every step of progress. 
He works and none can prevent. The supreme fact 
which arrests the attention is the wonderful order al- 
ways manifest and always emerging out of the greatest 
disorder on the human side. Out of every fresh diffi- 
culty a link is forged in that great chain of events which 
grows steadily toward the consummation of all in the 
coming of Messiah. In every crisis the man is found 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 26 129 

exactly fitted for the accomplishment of the special kind 
of work demanded. Moses for the people disorganized 
and needing law; Joshua for a people having to enter 
war; Gideon for a people defeated and distressed; Sam- 
uel for a people corrupted and verging on idolatry; 
Saul for a people clamoring for a king like their neigh- 
bors. There is no mistake at any point. The moment 
and the man arrive simultaneously, and through failure 
after failure the Divine purpose moves in power to con- 
summation. 

Conclusions. 

It is this retrospect from the Divine standpoint which 
is of chief value. It gives us a picture of the one su- 
preme and abiding fact in all human history, that of the 
overruling God. The facts in the history of the Hebrew 
people as set forth in Scripture, are repeated everywhere. 
Nations and ages affect not the Everlasting. No nation 
has come to greatness in benefiting the race in its own 
strength, or through the policy and scheming of its 
worldly-wise. Is not the story of every nation which has 
been great in the best history of the world that of re- 
markable development in spite of continuous blunders? 
To him who has eyes to see, God has raised up and led 
more nations than one, and through them accomplished 
far larger purposes than they knew or understood. 

Those who have intelligently realized this, and yielded 
themselves to Him have been the men who have made 
true history, while those who have rejected His author- 
ity He has brought to naught. 

There is no room for panic in the heart that knows 
God. He shall set judgment in the earth. Yet there 
should be perpetual anxiety as to personal relationship 
to His throne, and those men are the truest patriots who 
contribute to bring their nation into line with Divine 
government. 



130 'Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 27. DAVID'S EARLY LIFE. His Anoint- 
ing, and his Victory over Goliath. Scripture Sec- 
tion, 1 Sam. chs. 16, 17 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Vale University 

Samuel's Search for a New Leader. 

The rupture between Samuel and Saul did not lead 
to any attempt on the part of the former to publicly 
subvert the royal authority of Saul. He withdrew to 
Kamah, his home, and there gave himself to the active 
superintendence of the prophetical community which 
seems to have become located there. But inasmuch as 
he no longer regarded Saul as a ruler whose dynasty 
Jehovah would sustain, he was awaiting the Divine 
direction for the discovery of another and truer na- 
tional leader. 
The Anointing of David. 

In the simple language of the vivid Old Testament 
narratives we are straitly told that Jehovah directed 
him to look for the king-to-be at Bethlehem in the 
family of Jesse. This family was a well-known one in 
Judah. It is an evidence of the growing unity of the 
people under Saul that Samuel, the Ephraimite, could 
have even so much as thought of a ruler from the south- 
ern section. The narrative emphasizes the unobtrusive- 
ness of Samuel's visit to Bethlehem, the complete con- 
fusion of his own untutored judgment, and the final 
selection of David. It is quite needless to assume that 
the significance of the act of anointing was plain to all 
who witnessed it. It was, of course, symbolic of David's 
selection for some task and of his consecration to it. To 
the family, even, it might have meant no more than 
the assertion of a claim to David by the prophet, on be- 
half of Jehovah to be fully executed later on. At all 
events he certainly returned to his customary pursuits, 
after having established a relationship with Samuel 
which began to mould his life. He was more than a 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 2/ 131 

mere boy. His winning personality, his skill and cour- 
age and his varied gifts made him quickly a well-known 
personage. His opportunity for advancement came in 
good time. 

Appointed to the Court. 

Saul was beginning to show signs of mental depres- 
sion, often developing into acute mania. He felt that 
God had turned against him. His peace of mind de- 
parted and he became really dangerous. His officers be- 
lieved that his malady could be relieved or banished 
by music, and persuaded the king to send for David, 
whom they recommended as a soldier of repute, a man 
of affairs, attractive in person and a skilful musician. 
David at once won the royal favor, and was attached to 
Saul's person as his armor-bearer. 

His Exploits Against the Philistines. 

David found his next opportunity in the warfare 
which was being carried on against the Philistines. The 
exact facts in the case are obscured by the reduplication 
of accounts. 1 Sam. 17 : 1-11, followed by verses 
32-54, relates the occasion of the duel with Goliath, as 
we would naturally suppose that it might have hap- 
pened. As Saul's armor-bearer David accompanied him 
to the field, heard the champion's proud boast and asked 
permission to meet him. 1 Sam. 17 : 12-31, 55 ; 18 : 1-5 
imply that David was a mere shepherd lad quite un- 
known to Saul. These evidently represent two distinct 
narratives of the introduction of David to popular notice 
and royal favor. They cannot be satisfactorily united. 
The author of the book of Samuel used both of them, not 
caring to choose between them. It is well for those of 
us who are troubled by this divergence of data to note 
carefully that the main facts are upheld by each narra- 
tive. The real point of each story was the same. David 
had a personality which made him the idol of the popu- 
lace and the beloved friend of all who knew him with- 
out prejudice. He was young, brave, clever, strong and 



132 Historical and Expository Notes 

resourceful. He could charm away melancholy; he 
could likewise lead a band of warriors to victory. Pre- 
eminent for social gifts, he was also a man of affairs 
who could be trusted. His power was made manifest by 
innumerable exploits against the Philistines, of which 
the encounter with Goliath was a representative one. 
2 Sam. 21 : 19 ascribes the death of Goliath to El- 
hanan, the Bethlehemite, a puzzling datum, since there 
is no real warrant for adopting Sayce's declaration that 
Elhanan was the earlier name of David. 

No story in the Old Testament can surpass the narra- 
tive of the victory won at the ravine between the two 
facing hill slopes. For topographical accuracy, natural- 
ness, vigor, interest and instructiveness, it is pre- 
eminent. To Israel, after all, its greatest impress was 
the conviction that with Jehovah as their strength vic- 
tory was assured. A stripling of Israel in a shepherd's 
coat and armed with a sling was more than a match for 
the mightiest of warriors, "for the battle is Jehovah's/' 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

We are now entering on a new period in the history of 
Israel, one in which the essential truths concerning 
kingship are about to be revealed. As in the reign of 
Saul the false ideals of materialism were exposed, so 
now the true principles are to be exhibited, and conse- 
quent strength of the nation realized. Before this sec- 
tion is done with, we shall see human failure again 
manifested, but the Divine ideals will have been seen 
and embodied in the consciousness of the race as pre- 
paratory to the true kingdom and the coming King. 

The One King — Jehovah. 

The fundamental truth revealed in this lesson is the 
fact that no human failure finally frustrates Divine pur- 
poses. Saul has indeed failed, and with him the whole 
nation who clamored for a king. Samuel mourns this 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 27 133 

failure, and God rebukes him. The human has failed, 
not the Divine. God knew where the king was to be 
found who should realize His purpose and so deliver 
the nation. The principle of selection is spiritual, not 
material. Jehovah looks at the heart, the inner and 
formative fact. As a man thinketh in his heart so is 
he. Not as he looks externally. The matter of im- 
portance is the governing principle, and to that God 
has respect. Yet the material is not despised. David 
was finely developed, healthy, and robust. Every ma- 
terial advantage is an advantage to a God-centred life. 
All God's kings are of the shepherd character. Leader- 
ship of the flock, defence against ravening wolves, pro- 
vision of sustenance, these are the responsibilities of 
kingship, and the man who has learned the functions of 
the shepherd is prepared for the responsibilities of the 
kingly office. 
The Chosen King — David. 

This man's recognition of the Divine sovereignty and 
submission to it, is the secret of his fitness and service. 
In his subsequent history there will be many dark days, 
and sad reflections, yet through all he will never forget 
this kingship of Jehovah, and even when he sins against 
it, he will submit to the discipline in the spirit of true 
repentence. He was often disobedient, but the deep 
passion of his life was this submission, and in that he 
was a man after God's own heart. Hence the many 
excellencies which characterized the man. He was de- 
voted to present duty, and his fidelity as a shepherd cre- 
ated the characteristic qualities of the true king. He 
was absolutely fearless in his confidence in God, and 
whether it was the bear or the lion in the wilderness, or 
the vaunting giant of the day of battle, nothing made 
his heart tremble; consciousness of right and of God 
sustained him. 

And yet again his methods were those of sanctified 
common sense. No heavy and cumbrous armor which 
he had never used fascinated him, because other men 



134 Historical and Expository Notes 

used such. He took and employed the weapons he un- 
derstood, and thus gained his victory. 

Deductions. 

The rebuke of Samuel contains a lesson of great im- 
portance. We have no right to sit down and mourn 
human failures. Such a manifestation of grief indicates 
a false conception of the eternal purpose and power. 
We have no justification for investing the finite with 
an authority which belongs only to the Infinite. Hope 
will perish if we centre it in the human, and fail to re- 
member that notwithstanding the passing of man, God 
endureth forever and ever. 

"Who would sit down and sigh for a lost age of gold, 
When the Lord of all ages is here ?" 

More concentration of thought upon the Almighty is 
the remedy for much of the disappointment of to-day. 

The personal lesson is that the man who reckons with 
God is the man upon whom God can reckon. The deep- 
est principle of life is the matter of supreme import- 
ance. Let that be right, and the final issue will be 
good even in spite of weakness and failure. God has 
a chance in and through the man who truly believes in 
Him. Confidence in Jehovah is never brought to shame. 
Its triumphs are as certain as the power in which it 
trusts, and as absolute as the will that determines the 
progress of events. Let this confidence possess us, and 
notwithstanding the discovery of our own weakness, the 
words of David will be our witness to others : "Commit 
thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall 
bring it to pass." 



Old Testament Biographical Bevies, Lesson 28 135 

Lesson 28. DAVID'S FLIGHT FROM SAUL. Jona- 
than's Great Love for him. Scripture Section, 
1 Sam. chs. 18-20 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

Saul's Growing Jealousy of David. 

The war against the Philistines continued. It was 
more or less intermittent, but gave excuse at all times 
for acts of individual reprisal. Both at Saul's special 
bidding and on his own initiative David, having been 
made a captain, did such valiant and noteworthy deeds 
that the people with one accord gave him unstinted 
praise. Here arose Saul's supreme temptation. He 
could not endure the exaltation of another. The last 
and best proof of greatness was not for him. His anger 
and jealousy got the better of his love for David, and he 
began to plot the latter's destruction, first by exposing 
him to unusual risks at battle, then by inciting his own 
retainers to assassinate him, and finally by openly try- 
ing to kill him with his own hand. 

Jonathan tried his best to reconcile the two, but only 
served to fix his father's fell purpose and to make him- 
self a suspect. At the last David had no option before 
him. He had to leave the court, his home, and all who 
had come to love him, and flee for his life. 
The Friendship of Jonathan. 

He could scarcely have remained at the court so long, 
had it not been for the tender friendship of Jonathan, 
the king's son. Jonathan, as portrayed in these chap- 
ters, was a likeable, sincere, strong man, one whose 
close friendship was of real moment for David. They 
loved each other with the wholesome, generous affection 
which one man can show for another. It appears more 
nobly illustrated in the case of Jonathan, for he had 
more to lose by it. He was himself a hero, high-placed 
in the love of the people, heir-apparent to a kingdom; 
]but no faintest suggestion of jealousy at David's success 



136 Historical and Expository Notes 

and probable triumph ever passed his lips or even de- 
filed his thought. He had a truly royal heart, which 
could rejoice in the recognition of the nobility and 
lovableness of David, thereby revealing his own great 
worth. Never had David a more devoted friend, one 
more thoroughly without selfishness in his relations 
with him. Jonathan's influence was potent in shaping 
David's life. His generous sympathy gave David pro- 
tection. His last word to him (23 : 16-18) was one of 
encouragement, although it was at the same time a set- 
ting aside of his own ambitions. 

The Covenant. 

The loving union of David and Jonathan was sealed 
by a covenant which they "cut" together, probably a 
blood-covenant, further ratified by an exchange of 
clothing and of arms. In this act we have a Biblical ex- 
ample of a world-wide symbolic rite, by which two per- 
sons enter into "the closest, the most enduring and the 
most sacred of compacts, as friends and brothers, or as 
more than brothers, through the intercommingling of 
their blood by means of its mutual tasting or of its 
inter-transfusion." It symbolizes the commingling of 
the two lives; it forms an indissoluble union; it is the 
closest possible tie. Such a friend "sticketh closer than 
a brother." 

Customs of Worship. 

The narratives of these chapters include several ref- 
erences to the religious customs of the people that are 
instructive. From David's remark (20 : 6) we would 
infer that families held great sacrificial feasts each 
year at their homes, at which their scattered members 
were wont to present themselves. These were occasions 
of rejoicing and of worship. 

The occasion of this unveiling of Saul's malignant 
purpose was the time of the new moon, when a feast was 
held at the court, which amounted to an act of wor- 
ship. Every courtier was expected to be present or to 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 28 137 

be accounted for. Since David was absent more than 
once, Saul's attention was aroused and his suspicion. 
The day of the new moon, according to Amos 8 : 5, was 
a day of abstinence from unnecessary labor, a sort of 
special Sabbath. 

Every reader is surprised to note that Michal, the 
wife of David, had conveniently at hand an image of 
some sort, called a teraphim. The general opinion is 
that the teraphim was a sort of household deity, a relic 
perhaps of older ancestor worship, used for oracular 
purposes only, and not realized in the earlier and ruder 
days to be inconsistent with loyalty to Jehovah as the 
God of Israel. The one which Rachel (Gen. 31 : 34) 
stole away was of small size; Michal's was ap- 
parently of large size. A belief in their efficacy for de- 
termining individual fortunes was widespread (comp. 
Ezek. 21 : 21 or 2 Ki. 23 : 24). Their precise origin or 
character or form is as yet undetermined. 

David's age was indeed a rude one. Saul's court was 
no school of refinement. Even the assembly of the 
prophets at Eamah was characterized by many practices 
which a later and more sensitive age rejected. It was 
an environment which made for initiative, resourceful- 
ness, self-assertion and sturdy faith. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

Three men arrest our attention in this study — Saul, 
David, and Jonathan. Taking the larger outlook we see 
again the persistence and progress of the Divine pur- 
pose ever moving on, through failure and faithfulness 
of men toward the goal. 

We cannot too frequently emphasize the necessity of 
this wider survey. It is full of interest and instructive- 
ness, and must sustain in the heart of those confronted 
by difficulties and problems in their own age, unshaken 
confidence in the ultimate victory of God. Saul, David, 



138 Historical and Expository Notes 

and Jonathan, however, stand out so conspicuously as 
to make this lesson pre-eminently a study in personality. 
Saul. 

There is in all Bible records no sadder picture of 
the ruins of a man than this of Saul. In all his re- 
lationships with David he is seen acting from a vicious 
motive, that of self-centred rebellion. He had sinned 
against light and opportunity, and the result had been 
that of his rejection. He was angry at the punishment, 
and his subsequent conduct is strongly marked by ex- 
travagant indiscretions. Here is seen the great contrast 
between this man and David, who in the time of his 
fall, which came later, humbled his heart before God in 
the day of his punishment. This self-centred anger of 
Saul manifested itself in the most terrible ways, hatred, 
deceit and attempted murder. All self-control lost, his 
reason positively tottered under the rush of passion. 
This failure of the reason was no excuse for crimes re- 
sulting, for it originated in sin. 

What a solemn warning is afforded of the importance 
of guarding the heart against wrong motives ! Self in- 
terest, jealousy, anger are dangerous powers to govern a 
life. Their measurements are false, and their conclu- 
sions are wrong. Such motives transmute love into 
hate, turn wisdom into madness, and impart impulses 
to the will with disastrous results. There is no ruin 
more appalling than that of the man swayed by evil 
passion. Intellect and heart lose their balance, and the 
finer qualities of the soul are consumed by the coarser 
forces dominating the life. The greater the man, the 
more terrible the ruin. 
David. 

These were days of trial and testing for David, and in 
them his strength is clearly manifested. Magnificent is 
the record of his conduct. It is thrice repeated that he 
behaved wisely, and that under adverse conditions: as 
Saul's servant, before the people, and with the Philis- 
tine princes. In every relationship he is seen as loyal 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 28 139 

to God, and yet of simple and obedient heart. There is 
no dissimulation, no unseemly behavior. The life is ra- 
diant with integrity, and strong in the confidence of in- 
nocency. 

The contrast is at once evident. This man is acting 
from a motive entirely different from that of Saul. It 
is that of a man submitted to God, and therefore able to 
work faithfully, and wait quietly through the most try- 
ing circumstances. Consciousness of that over-ruling 
gives consistency to life: — courage, hope, tranquillity. 
David is chosen by God, and although he knows this, he 
is as yet devoid of all arrogance, and fulfils his present 
duties, even at the risk of his life. When it was actually 
unsafe to remain longer in Saul's court, he made no at- 
tempt to stir up strife in the nation, but peacefully with- 
drew to Samuel. 

It is ever the man who is in God's will that can afford 
to wait patiently. He is not dismayed nor distracted. 
His heart is at peace. Light shines upon his path. The 
Everlasting is his habitation. He will moreover be mag- 
nanimous in his treatment of his enemies. His strength 
draws its energy from God, and does not waste itself in 
revenge. And yet again such a man faithful in the 
small things, prepares himself for the greater which 
await him. 

Jonathan. 

Jonathan stands out as one of the most exquisite ex- 
amples of true friendship in all literature. It is the 
friendship of pure affection and unswerving loyalty to 
God. This man knew that the choice of David by God 
meant his own exclusion from kingship, and in this he 
gladly acquiesced, risking his own life to save his friend. 

Let us strive after such realization of friendship. It 
is only possible to love, which is conditioned in loyalty 
to God. Jonathan's resignation of the throne is proof 
of greatness equal to David's in accepting it. How 
beautiful and proper was David's love for this great soul 
as manifested in coming years ! 



140 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 29. DAVID THE OUTLAW. His Courage and 
Generosity. Scripture Section, 1 5am. chs. 2 1 -27 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

David's Flight. 

When finally convinced that in Saul's state of mind 
he was in constant peril, David left the court to take up 
the life of a wanderer in the fastnesses of Judea. The 
imminent danger is shown by the fact that he could 
secure neither food nor weapons. Coming on his way 
south to the sanctuary of Nob, not far from Jerusalem, 
David's needs were relieved by Ahimelech, the priest, 
who paid dearly, a little later, for his generosity. The 
surprise of Ahimelech at meeting David and the query 
regarding his lack of a retinue shows that David waa 
a man of great importance who moved in state. David 
is not scrupulous in satisfying his need. He deceives 
the good priest and does not hesitate to take the conse- 
crated "bread of the presence" which had just been re- 
placed by fresh loaves and was still uneaten. 

Ceremonial Cleanliness. 

Ahimelech demurred at giving this holy bread to 
David, because he took it for granted that neither Da- 
vid nor his men had been made ceremonially fit. Ap- 
parently the stricter usage of the Levitical law which 
forbade any others than members of the priesthood to 
eat the stale loaves was not in force. David assured 
Ahimelech that he was on a secret expedition, and that 
both he and his men were always careful about ritual 
purity. The incident is made obscure by a very defec- 
tive text. That David should even venture, however, 
to contravene sacred usage as he seemed to do is not 
readily explained. Only the extreme of bitter need 
could justify his action in the eyes of his contempora- 
ries. The fact that Jewish opinion upheld him sup- 






Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 29 141 

ports the appeal of Jesus, in his comment on the inci- 
dent (Luke 6), to a law which is above conventions. 

The Wilderness of Judah. 

David fled to the country which "piles up" from the 
western shore of the Dead Sea to the very edge of the 
central plateau, to Jeshimon, the wilderness. George 
Adam Smith calls it "fifteen miles of chaos." Among 
those "tossed and broken, bare and silent hills," where 
the valleys are all alike, a game of hide-and-seek can 
be carried on for months. David had lived in boyhood 
at its very edge. From any hill near Bethlehem he 
could gaze across it to the Dead Sea. It was probably 
for him familiar ground, and at least it was a refuge 
near those upon whose general friendliness he could 
rely. 

Here David roamed for some time, the captain of a 
band of men who came to number as many as six hun- 
dred. They were in part his kindred and in part men 
rendered desperate by the iniquitous conditions of so- 
cial life in Israel. It was no easy task to maintain such 
a numerous body of men in a district so destitute of re- 
sources. The stories of the deliverance of Keilah (1 
Sam. 23) and of the churlishness of Nabal (1 Sam. 25) 
will illustrate how he managed it. He guarded the in- 
terests of his countrymen, expressing that in return a 
gift would be made to him at suitable times of money 
or provisions. If he took booty in warfare with their 
enemies he was freehanded with it, making presents to 
the towns which had dealt generously with him. 

This wilderness experience was not an unmixed evil 
for David. It gave him skill in the leadership of men 
and great resourcefulness. It exhibited his prowess so 
clearly that a sentiment began to be felt throughout the 
land that he was the coming leader of all Israel and the 
favored of Jehovah. It tested his character and re- 
vealed the generousness and sturdy self-reliance which 
justified the confidence of all. 



142 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Flight to Achish. 

Notwithstanding all this it is not strange that he 
wearied of these months of hiding. He determined to 
go to Achish, king of Gath, who would welcome such 
recruits as he could bring. Prevented by the natural 
jealousies of his own people from making David the 
captain of his body-guard, Achish was induced to ap- 
point him governor of Ziklag, a town on the border of 
the desert. Here, according to the Chronicles (1 Chron. 
12:1-22), he was reinforced by men who came from all 
parts of Israel. At Ziklag he pursued a wily policy. 
Pretending to attack the Judean clans he actually at- 
tacked the Amalekites and the peoples of Geshur and 
Gezer, slaughtering all without mercy. Thus he caused 
the Philistines to think that he had made any reconcilia- 
tion with his people impossible, whereas he was help- 
ing the latter by exterminating their implacably hostile 
and continuously dangerous foes. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

In order to have an appreciation of this lesson it is 
necessary to keep in mind the terrible experience this 
period must have been to David. He was practically, 
as our title suggests, an outlaw, the subject of spying, 
treachery, and relentless hatred, cut off from the land 
and worship he loved, and, to use his own expression, 
<f hunted like a partridge upon the mountains." 

The circumstances were just such as test a man, and 
reveal all the facts concerning him. What is revealed 
is by no means the picture of a perfect man, for David 
practised deceit with Ahimelech, descended to the small- 
ness of feigning madness with Achish, meditated brutal 
revenge on Kabal, and lied to Achish the king of Gath. 
But he is not to be finally judged by these failures. 
They must be considered in the light of circumstances 
in which he was placed. Far more manifest than his 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 29 143 

failures are qualities of greatness which mark him out 
as fitted for all the future to which he was called in 
the order of Divine government. At these let us look, 
with their lessons for us. 
His Influence. 

A man's character is always best known through the 
influence he exerts, and what David was in his truest 
life is revealed in the influence he exerted on the men 
who gathered to him in those days of his trouble and 
exile. A more unlikely crowd it is almost impossible to 
imagine. The description of them is very striking : men 
in distress, men in debt, and men discontented ; just the 
kind of men that are a nuisance to society, and the most 
hopeless to deal with. Yet these men became the mighty 
men of his kingdom. The undisciplined became disci- 
plined, the cowardly became courageous, the unfit be- 
came fit. All this reveals the royalty of David's char- 
acter, his ability for inspiring and leading men. In 
cave Adullam, because of what he was himself, he laid 
the true foundation of his coming kingdom. To know 
what he was, we have only to examine these men as 
they were when they went to him, and as to what they 
became afterwards. 

The true estimate of a man's life is not to be made 
upon a superficial observation of his mistakes, but cir- 
cumstances must be studied, together with his real at- 
titude toward these mistakes, and the permanent in- 
fluence of his character. It is this deeper study of 
David's life which reveals his strength and manhood. 
His Generosity. 

This perhaps is the most conspicuous revelation of 
the story, and consequently least need be said concern- 
ing it. His retirement to the wilderness, when he might 
almost certainly have stirred up a party in his favor 
by remaining, and his two refusals to rid himself of 
his enemy, reveal the greatness of the man. Great 
strength is never contentious. 



144 Historical and Expository Notes 

His Caution. 

His generosity did not make him foolhardy. While 
escaping from the kingdom, and refusing to stir up 
strife there, he yet welcomed to himself men 
who were desirous of casting in their lot with 
him, and trained them for coming emergencies. While 
twice sparing the life of Saul, he declined to put himself 
for one moment within his power. His confidence in 
God did not make him guilty of putting himself in the 
power of his enemy. He acted as a man who knows 
that one of God's greatest bestowments on man is sa- 
gacity and caution, and he must use these gifts as part 
of the Divine equipment for preservation. 
His Humility. 

In nothing does the greatness of David's character 
show itself more conspicuously than in his attitude of 
mind toward his own sins. This is manifested through- 
out his career. There is one remarkable instance of it 
here. When through the prudence of Abigail he is de- 
livered from the sin contemplated toward Nabal, he 
freely confesses that the proposed action would have 
been blood-guiltiness. The man who confesses sin is 
ever a man after God's own heart. 
Conclusion. 

The one all-mastering principle is that of loyalty to 
God. Such submission makes men kingly, so that 
other lives are changed in contact. Such confidence en- 
ables men to be generous even to foes, and to wait for 
God. Such obedience maintains caution, as the exer- 
cise of a God-bestowed faculty. Such relationship en- 
ables a man to know and own his wrong. 

It is an interesting study in the conflict between 
good and evil in a God-governed life. The good is seen 
ever strengthening, and becoming the dominant fact in 
the life. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 30 145 

Lesson 30. DAVID THE KING. Jerusalem Made the 
Capital. Scripture Section, 2 Sam. chs. 1-6 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Vale University 

The Situation After Saul's Death. 

When Saul and his sons had met their death at the 
hands of the Philistines on Mount Gilboa the unity of 
Israel seemed at an end. Judah welcomed David to 
Hebron, where he was anointed king over the southern 
tribesmen. The men of the north, however, remained 
faithful to the family of Saul, represented by one sur- 
viving legitimate son. His capital, for the sake of se- 
curity, was fixed at the strong city of Mahanaim, east 
of the Jordan. Abner, Saul's cousin and the command- 
er of the army, was the real ruler. He seems to have 
been able to hold his own against the Philistines, for 
he is described as ruling over Gilead, Jezreel (i. e., the 
plain of Esdraelon), Ephraim and Benjamin. Possi- 
bly the Philistines contented themselves with a nomi- 
nal suzereignty over the land of Israel. Beyond ques- 
tion they looked upon David at the first as a loyal and 
very convenient vassal king. 

David Made King Over All Israel. 

For seven years the two little kingdoms confronted 
each other. Hostilities developed which resulted quite 
uniformly to Judah's advantage. At last the skilful lead- 
ership of Abner was the sole reliance of the Northern 
Kingdom. He took advantage of this, was sharply re- 
buked by his sovereign, and in revenge became a traitor. 
While negotiating with David the terms of the union 
of the kingdoms, Abner fell a victim to a blood feud. 
His king did not long survive him, being murdered in 
cold blood by two of the captains. No real obstacle re- 
maining to the consolidation of interests, David was 
anointed king over all Israel at Hebron. 



146 Historical and Expository Notes 

War With the Philistines. 

We cannot be certain that the Philistines had been 
unsuspicious of David all these years, but his coronation 
at Hebron made them aware that he was their enemy. 
They quickly assumed the offensive and invaded Judah. 
David, given no time to organize his forces, was com- 
pelled to retire to a stronghold which may have been 
the cave of Adullam. The details of the campaign we 
do not know. It abounded in gallant exploits like that 
of the Mighty Three (2 Sam. 23:13-17). When David 
had gathered his men he struck two decisive blows 
which brought about a complete deliverance from the 
Philistine overlordship and perhaps a reversal of their 
political relations. 
His Policy as King. 

David was free at last to reveal his qualities as a ruler 
of men. He quickly exhibited his genius by his selec- 
tion of Jerusalem as the proper site of the capital city 
of his kingdom. It was neutral territory, a natural 
stronghold, midway between Hebron and Shechem, 
commanding the highways of commerce in all directions, 
a thoroughly suitable center. Jerusalem had been oc- 
cupied and held by the Jebusites, who were so confident 
of its impregnability that they were hardly concerned 
to defend it. How David's men gained access cannot 
be determined, but the capture was beyond question a 
signal feat of arms. 

David soon proceeded to organize his resources. It 
may have been at this time, prior to his career of con- 
quest, that he ordered the taking of a census for mili- 
tary purposes (2 Sam. 24: 9), having in mind a more 
complete and reliable military organization. In spite 
of vigorous opposition David carried this through. A 
pestilence broke out soon after which was popularly ex- 
plained as a Divine retribution for the census, and Da- 
vid himself so understood it; but the enrolment must 
have made much more possible the career of conquest 
on which he now engaged. Organizing an army, the 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson SO 147 

nucleus of which was his own chosen and tried war- 
riors, he crushed successively the Philistines, the Moab- 
ites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, and Aram. Thus 
he quickly made his own people dominant among its 
neighbors and created a consciousness of resourcefulness 
and power which made for nationality. 

The Bringing Up of the Ark. 

Into his capital, now made prominent as the home of 
a powerful king, David determined to bring the ark of 
Jehovah in order that Jerusalem might become the re- 
ligious center of the nation. He had no idea of creat- 
ing a single central sanctuary, for there were many 
sanctuaries at which the people worshiped freely. But 
the ark was the national symbol of Jehovah's presence, 
and its resting-place was to some degree a national re- 
ligious center. With imposing ceremonies and great 
rejoicings it was transferred from the home of Abinadab, 
where it had remained ever since its restoration by the 
Philistine, first to the house of Obed-edom and then 
to Jerusalem. The whole nation joined in the sacred 
festival. 

Thus king David eame to his natural place. He was 
a born ruler. He was ruthless where force was required ; 
he was gracious when favor was possible. Jebusites and 
Philistines vied in rendering him loyal service. His 
own men were his slaves. He worked for the future, 
organizing, centralizing, unifying, educating his people. 
He enabled them to realize their resourcefulness as a 
nation, and thus prepared them for a future. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The story of David's coming into his kingdom is per- 
fectly natural, and full of incident and dramatic inter- 
est. The human is manifested in the passions, in- 
trigues, jealousies, and friendships of those introduced. 



148 Historical and Expository Notes 

His coming to the throne resulted from a combination 
of ordinary human happenings. Yet the Divine over- 
ruling is still more wonderfully evident. These very 
human qualities are restrained, and compelled to act 
often in ways by no means intended by the human in- 
struments, and always with singular appropriateness to 
the accomplishment of Divine purpose. The same is 
true of all history. Man works out his own destiny, 
while yet God over-rules for the accomplishment of 
His largest purpose. 

In the present lesson David is the central figure. He 
is seen exactly as Paul describes him so long afterwards, 
"in his own generation serving the counsel of God" 
(Acts 13 :36). By no means a perfect man, largely un- 
der the influence of fleshly passion, yet he recognized 
the Divine nature of his appointment, and yielding him- 
self thereto, fulfilled the will of God in his office, and 
gradually came into harmony with the will of God in 
his own life. The evidences of this recognition of Je- 
hovah are the most important notes in this lesson from 
which consequently our deductions are to be made. 

David's Consciousness of a Divine Mission. 

The fact of David's appreciation of the Divine pur- 
pose is declared in the words, "David perceived that 
Jehovah had established him king over Israel, and that 
he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's 
sake" (5:12). That twofold consciousness, first of a 
God-given mission, and secondly of the larger meaning 
thereof, ever assures strength of the highest order. It 
delivers a man from fear and faltering, and makes him 
courageous. It builds its confidence upon Omnipotence, 
and through every experience anticipates triumph. At 
the same time it saves from arrogance and ambition, and 
mantles the soul with humility and meekness. 

David's Dependence on God. 

This sense of the Divine counsel is manifested in 
David's refusal in any way to be accomplice of, or ac- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 30 149 

cessory to, crime even when it appears as though it 
would help forward a Divine purpose. His attitude 
toward the man who announced the death of Saul, 
toward Joab for the murder of Abner, and toward the 
men who killed Ishbosheth, clearly declared his convic- 
tion that God required no wrong-doing to enabie Him 
to work out His designs. A man yielded to the will 
of God never believes that the end justifies the means. 
The importance of this truth cannot be too strongly em- 
phasized. There is no fellowship between tyranny and 
Divine justice. Once let force attempt to improve or 
hasten forward the purpose of God, and failure miser- 
able and complete follows. God's will and God's way 
go together. 

David Co-working with God. 

This dependence npon God was not passive merely. 
It was positive and active. At the death of Saul, before 
going to Judah, and again when the Philistines were 
threatening, before taking steps he "inquired of Jeho- 
vah." To serve the will of God is not merely to act 
as an automaton, waiting for the compulsion of an 
external force. It is to remit everything to God for 
guidance, using the rational powers possessed, but al- 
ways under His regulation. This active submission to 
God — co-working with Him — is of a far higher nature 
than passive resignation. It needs resolute cultivation, 
but it is invaluable. 

David Recognizing God's Supremacy in the State. 

The crowning evidence of David's recognition of the 
supremacy of God in all the matters of the kingdom is 
that of his bringing of the ark of God back into the cen- 
ter of the national life. Something like eighty years 
before this it had been brought to the house of Abinadab 
by the Philistines, and there it would seem to have re- 
mained. David recognizes that the central fact of the 
national life is spiritual, and in the midst of material 
prosperity he takes time, and creates public demonstra- 



150 Historical and Expository Notes 

tion to bring the sacred ark, which is the symbol of 
their relationship to God, into the midst of the capital. 
There was a three months' delay, owing to the action 
of those who attempted to improve on God's plan for 
the conveyance of the ark. Eventually, though for the 
moment David was rebellious, the ark was brought in. 
Doubtless he learned by this that the arrangements of 
God must be carried out in small as well as greatest 
matters. 

The study of such a life will create the desire in 
every heart to serve our own generation after the coun- 
sel of God. To do this we must know Him, trust Him, 
obey Him. 



Lessou 31. DAVID'S OLD AQE. The Troubled End- 
ing of a Great Career. Scripture Section, 2 5am. 
15:1—19:15 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

Israel's Outlook. 

The successful completion of his campaigning left 
David the acknowledged master of his little world, the 
welcomed ally of the king of Tyre, and the respected 
foe of greater sovereigns. He had not made Israel a 
world power, but he had given the people a feeling of 
nationality, a sense of strength and outlook. How great 
that outlook was is an interesting question. The sev- 
enth chapter of 2 Samuel gives it expression from the 
standpoint of the age of the author. To him, however, 
the "earth" of vs. 23 was a far larger sphere than it 
could have been to the average Israelite of David's time. 
The Assyrian conquest of the eighth century immensely 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 31 151 

broadened the horizon of those dwelling in Palestine. 
In David's time it was imagination-quickening to dom- 
inate from Dan to Beersheba, and the summit of ambi- 
tion to be known and feared from the river Euphrates 
to the brook of Egypt. Had David done nothing more 
for his people, his reign would have been memorable 
because it caused his people not merely to become self- 
confident but influential. 
The Tragedy of David's Life. 

That so powerful a king should be tempted to per- 
sonal indulgence at the expense of his subjects is not 
strange. Such deeds were hardly regarded as criminal 
when performed by those of exalted rank. In many a 
kingdom Uriah would have felt himself honored rather 
than outraged. Not so in Israel. David was himself 
afraid of the verdict of his people and could not escape 
the stern denunciation of the prophet Nathan. The 
moral sense of Israel exhibited his passion in all its 
guilt and shame, and did not hesitate to make the story 
of his later years point one long moral of the inevitable 
consequences of guilt. 

The years which followed after David's moral down- 
fall were years of disappointment, disturbance and dis- 
aster. We cannot determine how many there were. 
The writer was oblivious to all but the slow unfolding 
of the avenging sequence. David's son and heir with 
equal unrestraint dishonored David's own child. In 
consequence her brother had him murdered in cold 
blood, then went into exile. This son, being allowed in 
due time to return home, yet treated captiously, became 
a deliberate traitor and plotted to supplant his father 
on the throne. Acting secretly he gained many adher- 
ents and at last broke out in open rebellion. For one 
reason or another there was much disaffection in the 
land. So great was David's peril that he retreated to 
Mahanaim, an ancient and loyal stronghold. Appar- 
ently he was at first accompanied only by his mercena- 
ries, who formed his bodyguard, but in time many of 



15 2 Historical and Expository Notes 

his people exhibited their continuing loyalty and won 
him back his throne. His later life was greatly embit- 
tered, however, by these never-concluded results of his 
base self-indulgence. 

His Persona! Qualities. 

The strong and weak side of David's personality 
these narratives exhibit about equally. David had a 
rare attractiveness, a charm which made strong men 
his slaves. Ittai, the captain from Gath, a mercenary, 
was as completely devoted to him as Joab, David's fel- 
low-soldier. Hushai readily attempted, at the risk of 
his life, to foil the plans of Ahithophel, reputed to be 
the cleverest man in the kingdom. This lovablenesa 
was one of the strongest factors in David's success. Its 
effectiveness was increased by his genuine large-minded- 
ness. He could spare an enemy, honor a foe, remember 
long a kindness, overlook an insult, treat generously a 
conquered people, see the significance of simple acts of 
fidelity. David was built upon a generous scale. He 
was truly one of history's great men. 

He threw away many of the best results of these 
traits by occasionally manifesting pitiable weakness. 
His parental fondness caused him to overlook scandal- 
ous actions on the part of his children; his favoritism, 
as shown to individuals or to sections of his kingdom, 
created open dissension. 

It is questionable whether David could have achieved 
what he did, had he not been a man of deep religions 
feeling. Its expression was not infrequently rude and 
sensuous, but none the less real and characteristic. His 
reply to Michal, when she taunted him for dancing like 
any common man before the ark, his penitence under 
the reproof of Nathan, his resignation when a fugitive 
from Absalom, his appeal that his people might not be 
made to suffer (2 Sam. 24:17) for his fault, his re- 
fusal to satisfy his burning thirst with the water which 
heroic devotion had hallowed — these were proofs of his 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 31 153 

innate responsiveness to spiritual impressions. Ideal- 
ized as he was by later ages, there was a real basis for 
ascribing to him the beginnings of Israel's religious 
strength. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.O., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The shadows are very dark in this lesson. The pic- 
ture of David's position is full of sadness, — the rebellion 
of Absalom, the disaffection of part of his people, the 
brutality of Shimei, the cunning of Ziba, and finally 
the tragic death of Absalom. It is impossible to con- 
template David in the midst of all these circumstances 
without realizing how acutely and terribly he must 
have suffered. Yet on the other hand there are gleams 
of light that are very beautiful. The fidelity to him of 
some of his own, and their strength in the day of con- 
flict must have been sources of strength to him amid 
the surging sorrows. 

David Suffering for his Sins. 

The values of the study are those of warning and 
revelation. The warning comes from the evident con- 
nection between these sorrows and the previous failures 
of David. The revelation is that of a great character 
in spite of failure, manifesting behavior in sorrow which 
tells of strength. 

In all these terrible troubles we see the certain out- 
working of the wrongs of the past. David's shameful 
sin against Uriah and Bathsheba he had confessed and 
repented of. Nevertheless the judgment pronounced, 
that the sword should not depart from his house, is be- 
ing carried out, and that in a way that touched him in 
the most sensitive place of his nature. 

Moreover, his past action toward Absalom had been 
weak. He had allowed his affection to set aside judicial 
integrity. Absalom never ought to have been recalled 
after his previous sin. It is a hard lesson and yet one 



154 Historical and Expository Notes 

that must be learned, that a passion for righteousness 
is of more importance than the call of any merely per- 
sonal love. In all the agonizing experience of Absa- 
lom's rebellion, and his own consequent exclusion for 
a time from the kingdom, David was but reaping the 
harvest of his own weakness and folly. Thus are we 
warned that no matter how strong the character may 
be, or how in the general fact of a life loyalty to truth 
and goodness may prevail, any deflection from the clear- 
ly marked pathway of integrity must inevitably result 
in harvests of suffering. 

David's Triumph Over his Sorrows. 

Solemn as are these warnings, the revelation of the 
greatness of this man is most remarkable. Here, in- 
deed, he is seen as the man after God's own heart. 
Stricken with sorrow, an exile from his city and throne, 
yet no word of resentment against God passes his lips. 
On the contrary, when he sends Zadok back with the 
ark into the city, he deliberately affirms his confidence 
that if it be the will of Jehovah, he will be brought 
back, and if not, then he says, "Let Him do to me as 
seemeth good unto Him." 

This is a great triumph of faith, and reveals the deep- 
est secret of David's greatness. His life was full of 
fault and failure, and yet deeper down than all was 
his belief in God, and his devotion to His will. Nothing 
manifests more sublimely the reality of soul greatness 
than to bow submissively under Divine chastisement. 
All sin is terrible, but the sin of sins is delight in sin, 
and rebellion against Divine government. Of this David 
was never guilty. He failed and fell, and yet when 
lowest, was always found penitent and submissive to 
the Divine dealing, whatever it might be. It is the 
man who can thus take hold of God, and find after all 
that his satisfaction is in what God does, even when it 
means his own suffering, which follows upon his sin, 
who is the man of strong character. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 32 155 

This is the secret of all the other manifestations of 
greatness which the lesson contains, his generosity 
toward the men who persecuted him in the hour of his 
darkness, and supremely that great wail of his broken 
heart over Absalom. This handsome son of his love 
was a terrible failure, who died in rebellion against 
him, after a life which seemed to be characterized by 
cunning, and violation of all the principles of righteous- 
ness, and yet over his death David poured forth a dirge. 
To know sin, and to hate it, this is perhaps more than 
anything else in the sinner which makes him a man 
after God's own heart. 



Lesson 32. SOLOMON HADE KING. His Wisdem 
and Fame. Scripture Section, 1 Ki. chs. 1=4; Prov. 
ch. 10 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Last Days of David. 

The remaining years of David's life were years of se- 
curity and peace. All thought of rebellion had ceased 
within his kingdom or without. His domain, under 
normal circumstances, was certain to pass over intact 
to his successor. But the years of privation, strenuous 
exertion, and luxury had left their personal work upon 
the king. He was a mere wreck of his former self, en- 
feebled, almost exhausted. He withdrew from public 
view and abandoned all active participation in the du- 
ties of a sovereign. Surrounded as he was by faithful 
and capable retainers, there was little need of his inter- 
ference or leadership. His will was dominant, his 
dynasty secure, his hopes assured, 



156 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Question of a Successor. 

It is not strange that Adonijah, his eldest surviving 
son, should have regarded himself as the probable suc- 
cessor of David. He was ambitious, clever, and attrac- 
tive. Men like Joab and Abiathar, whose loyalty to 
David could hardly be questioned, despite their inde- 
pendence, felt that Adonijah was the natural choice 
of the nation, and gave him their support. He had also 
the support of the royal princes, of the Judean nobles, 
and of many of the officers of the army, and planned to 
unite them with others into a party which could act as 
a unit at the proper time. That the feast at En-rogel 
was for the purpose of preparing the way for an imme- 
diate seizure of the throne we may well doubt. 

It boded ill, however, for a small but influential party 
at court which favored Solomon, the loved son of Bath- 
sheba, a lad of great favor and promise. Not only 
their future but their lives depended on their success. 
Adonijah mistrusted and disliked them, and would have 
promptly relegated them to obscurity and perhaps to 
death. An action characteristically Oriental was 
promptly decided upon. 

The Coronation of Solomon. 

By a skilfully arranged repetition of announcement 
and appeal, the aged king was made to realize that his 
freedom of selection was being curtailed and measures 
taken to insure the succession of Adonijah to the throne. 
The news roused him to his old-time vigor of decision. 
He gave quick orders which insured the immediate coro- 
nation of Solomon as king, and his public and official 
recognition as the reigning sovereign. 

The privileges of royalty were closely guarded in those 
days, partly because they were so simple. The use of a 
king's possessions (comp. 2 Sam. 16 :22) was tanta- 
mount to laying a claim to his place. Adonijah's main- 
tenance of a large retinue was suspicious; his desire to 
take Abishag to wife (1 Ki. 2:22) Solomon regarded 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 32 157 

as directly treasonable. When Solomon was placed upon 
the king's own mule and taken in state to Gihon, it 
scarcely needed the act of anointing and the public 
proclamation to make his enthronement secure. Adon- 
ijah and his party so understood the situation, and has- 
tened to disperse. 

The Personality of Solomon. 

The young king thus placed in a moment in a position 
of great power and responsibility did not act unwor- 
thily. He exhibited the generous magnanimity which 
had characterized his father, David. His brother and 
the friends who had supported him were pardoned un- 
til they manifested an inclination for intrigue, when 
they were immediately executed. He had the quickness 
of decision and the courage for resolute action which 
are essential traits of an Oriental sovereign. But above 
all he was notable for "wisdom," a term which em- 
braced, in Hebrew parlance, both the inward qualities of 
insight, sagacity and cleverness, and its external mani- 
festations in wise decisions of disputes, pithy formula- 
tions of truth and sentiment, and statements regarding 
the world (1 Ki. 4:33) of nature and life. For practi- 
cal wisdom and for clever aphorisms alike his fame en- 
dured. The central and probably the earlier section of 
the book of Proverbs (10:1 — 22:16) may well have 
been the outcome of a habit of proverb-making, fos- 
tered by the king and possibly initiated in his day, but 
continued by the guilds of sages who did so much for 
the training of the Hebrews in practical philosophy. As 
the name and authority of David became associated with 
the psalms of every age, so Solomon's name was identi- 
fied with the proverbs from every source, his exact re- 
lationship being undetermined. 

Solomon had a noble personality with unmeasured 
possibilities, winning, gifted, self-reliant and command- 
ing. He received at the outset of his long reign the un- 
divided homage of his subjects. He captured not alone 



158 Historical and Expository Notes 

their affection but their imagination. He satisfied their 

ideals. 

The Organization of his Kingdom. 

A certain disillusion took place; just when we can- 
not affirm, perhaps not until after many years of reign- 
ing. It came through the gradual manifestation of 
royal selfishness and extravagance. 

One of his earliest tasks was the reorganization of 
his kingdom. The fourth chapter of 1 Kings recog- 
nizes the result of this action. The court was abundant- 
ly provided for, its needs for a month at a time being 
supplied by a district over which was a revenue of royal 
appointment. 

The section of this chapter from verses 20 to 26 in- 
clusive is a post-exilic addition, as evidenced by the 
Babylonian standpoint of verses 21 and 24, and the use 
of the term "Israel" in verses 20 and 25. That it was 
inserted is shown by tne connection of verses 19 and 27. 
The impression conveyed, however, is correct. There 
was great peace and plenty and prosperity, at least in 
the early part of Solomon's reign. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfleld, Mass. 

Introduction. 

This lesson introduces us to the history of the reign 
of Solomon, at once the most brilliant and most sad of 
those of the Hebrew kings. In these first movements 
we have evident signs of the strength and the weakness 
of this remarkable son of David. Let us trace these 
for the sake of learning the lessons they suggest. 
Solomon's Capacity as a Ruler. 

His natural capacity for the exercise of kingship is 
remarkably manifest in the first actions of his reign. 
These are characterized by forbearance and severity. 
Notwithstanding all the splendid achievements of the 
reign of David, Solomon came to a kingdom in which 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 32 159 

elements of discord and seeds of disaffection were pal- 
pably present. This was manifest by the action of 
Adonijah, and the defection of such men as Abiathar 
and Joab. Solomon's forbearance was manifested in 
his sparing of the life of his elder brother, and those 
also of Abiathar and Shimei. Such forbearance, how- 
ever, was not a sign of weakness, for when Adonijah 
subsequently took advantage of his clemency in a way 
utterly unwarranted by all Eastern ideals he was im- 
mediately executed. Though Abiathar's life was spared, 
he was rejected from the priestly office, by abiding 
wherein he might have wrought such mischief. The 
moment Shimei broke the bounds of his parole, he paid 
the death penalty. Joab, moreover, upon whom Solo- 
mon evidently looked as the most dangerous man in 
his kingdom, was put to death. All this gives the pic- 
ture of a singular strong man, suaviter in modo, for- 
titer in re, a man whose hand was iron, even though it 
wore the silken glove. For his day and generation these 
were the elements necessary for the government of a 
turbulent people. 

Solomon's Culture and Learning. 

Solomon was, moreover, a man of singular culture, 
being philosopher, poet, and student of natural history. 
Add to all this, that in these early days he was a man 
of true humility of spirit, desiring wisdom above all 
things. Crowning everything is the truth stated that 
"he loved Jehovah and walked in the statutes of David 
his father." 

A combination of these elements in one person con- 
stitutes a most uncommon man, capable only of great- 
ness in success or failure, according to the principles 
by which life shall be governed. 

Solomon's Desire for Worldly Fame. 

Yet these earliest facts reveal certain elements of weak- 
ness which became more and more apparent with the 
passing of the years. He was from the first actuated by a 



160 Historical and Expository Notes 

desire to place his kingdom side by side in comparison 
and competition with other kingdoms that lay round 
about. This policy betrayed a singular absence of the 
consciousness of separation to which the Hebrew people 
were called, and consequently notwithstanding Solo- 
mon's early successes, and the material advantages 
which accrued, time proved the disastrous failure of 
such a course. His affinity with Pharoah, king of 
Egypt, and the marriage of his daughter was in itself 
entirely out of harmony with the original purpose of 
Jehovah. As this woman is not named afterward 
among those who caused him to go astray, in all proba- 
bility she adopted the worship of Jehovah, His mar- 
riage with her, however, established a precedent, which 
in its outworking, brought centuries of trouble to the 
people of God. 

Lessons. 

The lessons are apparent and searching. The most 
splendid inheritance cannot make the man. Character 
may be affected by environment, but need not be. The 
quality which makes manhood conspicuous for right- 
eousness draws its life from the strength that is not 
touched by things earthly. The characteristics which 
make a man great among his fellows may ensnare his 
soul, unless the governing principle of his life be right. 
There must be no deviation, the course must be straight. 

And yet perhaps most solemn of all, a man may have 
the truest religious desire and devotion, but unless these 
are followed to their final conclusions, they may be 
submerged by the tides of natural inclination, and a 
dawning life full of promise pass into darkness and 
eclipse. 

Solomon was born to wealth, culture, and religion; 
but there are no evidences that he was wholly and ab- 
solutely surrendered to the God whom he did most 
truly love. He is a glaring instance of the impossibil- 
ity of serving God and Mammon. We learn from this 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 33 161 

story how much success may be but the sowing of the 
seeds of a harvest of failure. 



Lesson 33. SOLOMON'S GREATEST WORK. The 
Temple and its Furnishings. Scripture Section, 
1 Kings chs. 5=8 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Beginning of the Temple. 

No sooner was Solomon well established upon his 
throne and well organized in his kingdom than he be- 
gan to plan a series of building enterprises in keeping 
with the wealth, strength and influence of the Israel of 
his day. Nurtured in the palace, not on the homestead 
or the battlefield, his ideas were such as Saul could 
never have conceived nor David have executed. They 
marked a radical departure from the old simplicity and 
democracy and embodied the love of display and the 
ideas of sovereignty which characterized and surrounded 
Oriental monarchies. Solomon was ambitious to be as 
imposing as these neighbor kings. 

The chronicler (1 Chron. 22:2-4, 14-19; 28:11-19; 
29 : 2-19) describes in detail both the unstinted provis- 
ion of materials by David and his securing of generous 
gifts from the people. The writers of the prophetic his- 
tories give us to understand that David had anticipated 
the erection of the temple and mention the spoils of 
warfare which were dedicated (2 Sam. 8: 6-12) by him 
to this service. 

Before the temple could be erected, the foundations 
had to be prepared, since the original altar-space had 
been merely the partly flattened, shelving summit of the 



1 62 Historical and Expository Notes 

isolated hill. By solid masonry and by huge arches the 
space was extended into an area large enough to give 
room for the temple, faced toward the east, and for the 
proper approaches. 
The Real Builders. 

The Israelites had not as yet developed skill in archi- 
tecture. King Solomon invited to his aid his neighbor 
Hiram, king of Tyre, whose artificers in stone or gold 
were among" the most notable of that age. Hiram him- 
self achieved renown as the builder of temples. It is 
quite probable, therefore, that Solomon's temple was 
erected after Phoenician rather than Egyptian models. 
Its ideal appearance we can only conjecture, however, 
since the measurements preserved and the descriptions 
of details are equally applicable to a variety of archi- 
tectural ideas. 

Hiram was faithful to his bargain. He contributed 
steadily the materials and the skilled workmen, not 
alone for the temple but for the palace. Solomon paid 
him in abundant supplies of wheat and oil, an arrange- 
ment which must have been mutually satisfactory, in 
view of its long continuance, notwithstanding Hiram's 
disgust (1 Ki. 9 : 12) at the villages made over to him 
as a sort of bonus. 
Solomon's Purpose. 

We may be fairly sure that neither Solomon nor his 
generation realized the future dignity and real import- 
ance of the temple. It was more, to be sure, than a 
royal chapel, a building intended to suitably equip the 
palace grounds with a place of worship. It had a truly 
national significance from the beginning, a value as a 
rallying centre, which Jeroboam I (1 Ki. 12:26-29) 
dared not ignore. But its uniqueness, isolation and un- 
questionable supremacy were of gradual development. 
These were the results of the lavish expenditure and 
sedulous care on the part of Solomon, whose motives 
may have been various. Solomon does not impress the 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 33 163 

student of Scripture as a man of religious temperament, 
but he had a keen sense for that which was appropriate. 
The eighth chapter of First Kings represents him as 
giving utterance at the dedication of the temple to the 
liveliest of hopes for his people in their service before 
Jehovah. He realized that the temple would have great 
value in unifying and tranquilizing his people. 
The Significance of the Temple. 

In itself the temple resembled many royal shrines. 
It surpassed them only in magnificence. Making all 
allowance for extravagance of tradition, it must have 
been a beautiful structure, far outstripping any shrine 
in Israel, and hence attracting quickly the respect and 
reverence of the average Israelite. 

Standing, as it did, for the worship of Jehovah at the 
capital itself, it did much to strengthen and make per- 
manent the ties between Jehovah and the nation as a 
whole. Falling heir to the reverence paid to the ark and 
its contents, it was a unifying factor in the develop- 
ment of a truly national spirit. Inasmuch, too, as it 
contained no image, but represented by its empty sanc- 
tuary a deity unrepresentable and unapproachable by 
ordinary men, it made for spirituality. Those who 
prayed to an unseen deity could not but look upon Him 
as apart from men. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D.. Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

A man's greatest work is invariably connected with 
his best life. In the building of the temple we certainly 
have the greatest work of Solomon, and it is equally 
certain that he is seen at his best at this period. The 
underlying principle is neither personal nor political. 
It is religious. This religious conviction is, moreover, 
singularly clear and pure, and his words of dedication 
remain forever upon the pages of truth as embodying 
conceptions of God and man's relationship to Him 



164 Historical and Expository Notes 

which are of perpetual application, and full of undying 
beauty. Yet even here are manifest also those elements 
of weakness which eventually wrought such sad havoc 
in his career. His inordinate love of luxury and mag- 
nificence are seen in the enormous amount he spent on 
the building of his own house. Two sets of forces are 
evidently present in his life, first, at this time, his be- 
lief and devotion to God, and also the desire of his own 
nature, refined and cultured, yet purely natural and self- 
ish. Eventually one of these must dominate the other. 
Which shall it be? That is ever the question in such 
rare lives. The question will be answered in our next 
lesson. For the present we look at the man at his high- 
est and best. 
Solomon's Purpose in Building the Temple. 

By the consecration of vast wealth, enormous labor, 
and by pressing into the work advantages accruing from 
friendship with neighboring nations, as well as by per- 
sonal attention bestowed, Solomon evidenced his convic- 
tion that the strength of the nation depended upon its 
unceasing remembrance of the relationship to God. 

This, moreover, he emphasized at a time of peculiar 
peril, because of great prosperity. It was in time of 
peril that the heart of the people most readily turned 
to God. Just now everything was quiet. There was no 
foe at the gates, and disaffection within was at least 
silenced. Right here then was the time for affirming the 
Divine, and Solomon gave himself to this. The action 
is one of greatest importance, and should be considered 
in relation to personal and national life. Wealth de- 
voted to spiritual matters is not wasted. Time taken 
from the material is saved. Force consecrated to the 
strengthening of the sense of God in the life of a people 
is vital. In the day of prosperity let the temple be 
reared, and never allow the glare of worldly success to 
make the heart forget that a godless prosperity is dis- 
astrous adversity. 

The high note of spirituality in the prayer is remark- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 34 165 

able. Solomon did not for one moment imagine that 
Jehovah was coming to dwell in the house made with 
hands. He clearly understood that the heaven of heav- 
ens could not contain Kim. This temple was to be a 
place of revelation and meeting, made necessary by the 
limitations of a man, a perpetual reminder of the infi- 
nite truth, which under all circumstances, and in all 
places should serve as an aid to man in his approach to 
God. In the exercise of prayer and worship he did not 
think it necessary for men to be there in bodily presence. 
They were to look toward it as God would look toward 
it, and in that meeting of mind and will there would be 
meeting between God and man. Strange indeed is it 
that to-day, when neither at Jerusalem nor in any moun- 
tain set apart do men meet with God, there are still men 
who would attempt to limit our worship to time and 
places of human appointment. All that was suggested 
in the splendid symbolism of that temple of old has been 
wrought out in human history in the person and work of 
Jesus. God's look is ever toward the perfect Son of His 
love. Oh, my soul, art thou, too, looking to the 
peerless One, from sorrow, sin or suffering? Then 
thou hast found the place of worship, and thy prayer 
prevails. Because the provision is more perfect to-day, 
we should the more zealously guard it, and see to it 
that in every department of life there is the time and 
place and quality of worship. 

Learn. 

It is easy to remind men of God when adversity 
sweeps the path of life. But the greatest triumphs of 
faith may sometimes be accomplished under very dif- 
ferent conditions. Prosperity too often forgets the 
cross, adversity never. The affirmation of God which 
corrects forgetfulness keeps alive the conviction that "in 
him we live and move and have our being." 



1 66 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 34. SOLOHON'S riAGNIFICENCE AND FOLLY. 
The Beginning of National Decay. Scripture Sec- 
tion, 1 Ki. chs. 9=11 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

Solomon's Greatness. 

It is not strange that Solomon's head was turned and 
that he threw all his energies into the work of making 
a brave display of magnificence and forgot the needs of 
his people. He was placed by the very success of his 
great father in the front rank of the kings of petty 
states, and on terms of relationship with the sovereign 
of Egypt himself. Tyre was glad to render him broth- 
erly service; the little principalities paid him homage; 
the queen of distant Sheba heard of his glory and wis- 
dom and came to visit him. He fell under the spell of 
what we might call the "royal" habit, and used his great 
resources freely for the creation of a kingdom which 
should surpass those about him. 

His Defensive Policy. 

His most creditable achievement was the erection of 
a chain of fortresses which made the land secure from 
invasion under ordinary conditions. Solomon seemed 
to prefer defense to offense. He prevented war by mak- 
ing it unprofitable. Some take this preference of his as 
an indication of personal timidity, but it may just as 
well have been deliberate statesmanship. Opinions have 
always differed greatly regarding Solomon's motives. 
He may have undertaken his great enterprises, as Math- 
ieson thinks, for the specific purpose of busying his 
people and thus preventing their jealous attacks upon 
each other. The unifying which David furthered by 
employing his fighting population in warlike adven- 
tures, Solomon stimulated in peaceful achievements. 
His mistake was not so much in forwarding these build- 
ing operations as in making them so numerous. He 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 34 167 

planned greater achievements than the nation's re- 
sources would warrant. 
His Commercial Relations. 

Solomon's enterprise led him to cultivate close rela- 
tions with nations all about him. He was keen to no- 
tice the advantages that would come to his people and to 
his throne by the encouragement of trade. It was de- 
veloped in all directions — with the Hittite tribes of the 
North Euphrates, with the Syrians, with Egypt, with 
the Mediterranean ports in Phoenician trading ships, 
and with the flourishing kingdom of Saba in central 
and Southern Arabia. This last mentioned kingdom, 
has been revealed within the last few years as one of 
real strength and importance, at the very height, in 
Solomon's time, of its prosperity. 

Solomon's policy, according to tradition, made Jeru- 
salem the abode of wealth. Articles of beauty, con- 
venience, entertainment, amusement and luxury were 
common enough. But a disastrous price was being paid 
for all these things. 
The Evils of his Policy. 

Solomon forgot that his subjects had to pay for the 
execution of his desires. They were driven almost into 
revolt. The incessant demands of building operations 
for large bodies of men compelled him to establish a 
levy which was not satisfied to have the forced labor of 
the foreign-born among the Israelites, but required his 
natural subjects by the thousands. In addition to the 
levy, all Israel was heavily taxed for the support of the 
projects under way. Discontent at this crushing burden 
and dissension because of a fancied partiality on the 
part of the king for his own tribes and section gave rise 
to a dangerous attitude of the people. 
The Disruption. 

So long as Solomon lived the feeling of discontent 
was unable to find open expression. He was acknowl- 
edged master of his own throne and people. Upon his 



1 68 Historical and Expository Notes 

death, however, the long repressed sentiment of the 
northern tribes was given voice. When Eehoboam, his 
son, went to Shechem for the ceremony of coronation 
they presented, through their spokesman, Jeroboam, 
their reasonable grievances. Had the young prince 
taken wise counsel and granted some relaxation of their 
burdens, so strong was the spell of Solomon's magnifi- 
cence and power that even the freedom-loving men of 
Israel would have proffered allegiance. But is was God's 
purpose, as voiced by His prophet Shemaiah (1 Ki. 12 : 
24) to bring about the disruption of the monarchy so 
carefully builded by David. Stung by Kehoboam's curt 
rejection of their requests, the northern tribes declared 
their independence and elected Jeroboam as their king. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

These chapters chronicle the story of the catastrophe. 
There is nothing more tragic and pathetic in the pages 
of literature than is the ruin of Solomon, and its influ- 
ence upon the nation. The question of Solomon's ulti- 
mate salvation is not before us. It is never raised in 
Scripture, and all discussions concerning it are irrele- 
vant and flavor of impertinence. No one has any right 
to pass judgment on any soul, for we cannot tell what 
passes between such and God. 

Solomon's Degradation. 

As to the realization of all the fair possibilities and 
promises of his young manhood, he was the most pitiable 
and yet contemptible failure. The elements of weakness 
to which reference was made in the previous lesson, 
gained complete ascendancy over him, and those of 
strength weakened, until the fresh beauty of the dawn- 
ing became the lurid dusk of a tempest swept eventide. 
The ruin is appalling, encompassing the whole fact of 
his being and vocation. It was the wreckage of all his 
powers — physical, mental, spiritual and regal. An in- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 34 169 

cidental word reveals the fact of the first, "when Solo- 
mon was old"(l Ki. 11:4). Old? How old was he? 
As to actual years, perhaps, not more than fifty, but old ! 
No comment is necessary. The degradation of his men- 
tal power is evident in the gloomy hatred which at- 
tempted the murder of Jeroboam. 

Probably the pessimism of Ecclesiastes is the revela- 
tion of the same degradation. The spiritual deflection 
is most sad. "His wives turned away his heart after 
other gods" ; and this man, who in all sincerity and with 
deep spiritual insight prayed at the temple's dedication, 
yet turned to the polluted abominations of the heathen. 
The ruin of the kingdom is equally evident. Oppressed 
under the taxation necessary for the maintenance of the 
voluptuous manner of his life, and full of disaffection, 
it was ripe for revolt, and on the eve of break-up. Let 
us learn for our own warning how a life so magnificent 
at the beginning could have so disastrous an ending. 

Yielding to Temptation. 

Here, as always, the profoundest fact is that of the 
false action of the will. Two sets of forces appealed to 
him in the beginning, those of a passionate and volup- 
tuous nature, and those of a deep religious desire and 
delight. To whichever he yielded, he would become ser- 
vant, while the power of the other would weaken. He 
submitted to the former with the results seen. Oh, that 
every young man would face the issue in the light of 
this warning, and that of thousands of similar ones ! 

Spiritual and Moral Descent Easy. 

Having made his choice the descent was easy and 
rapid. His accumulation of wealth gave him notoriety 
and pre-eminence among surrounding kings. What 
could be better? He utterly failed to detect the differ- 
ence between popular notoriety and pure testimony. 
Yet the difference is radical. Is not this the crowning 
mistake of many? Then he could minister to that dis- 
astrous passion of his animal life, and create alliances 



170 Historical and Expository Notes 

with these kings by marriage. What remarkable fore- 
sight ! Nay, what abject blindness ! Yet it is easy to 
deceive one's own heart, until we think we really desire 
good as we pursue evil. 

Desire yielded to never becomes satisfied. The mag- 
nificence must be multiplied, the harem must be en- 
larged. Yes, actually at last, the gods must be more, 
and that is the climax of corruption, as it is the finality 
of folly. 

The Pervasiveness of Bad Influence. 

No man ruins himself alone. Ah, this is the terror 
of it. If by my sin I only blasted myself, it would be 
terrible, but there would be at least a suspicion of ex- 
cuse. There is none such. Solomon sinning curses the 
kingdom. The higher the seat of the sinner the more 
terrible the issue of the sin. An angel falling draws 
after him a legion. A perfect man involves a race. A 
king blights all his kingdom ; and every man, some other 
man, or perhaps, and worse, a woman, or some little 
children. 

Conclusion. 

The one superlative truth I would emphasize from the 
life of Solomon is that the man of superbest equipment 
is most in peril, and if he fails, he involves more. This 
dimmed noon, the prophecy of youth with the undying 
manhood. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 35 171 

Lesson 35. ELIJAH THE PROPHET OF FIRE. His 
Victory over Baalism in Israel. Scripture Section, 
1 Ki. chs. 17, 18 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Two lsraelitish Kingdoms. 

The immediate result of the declaration of independ- 
ence by the northern tribes was the creation of two pet- 
ty, weak, and mutually opposing kingdoms in the domain 
ruled over without question by David and Solomon. 
Neither kingdom was measurably stronger than the na- 
tions which had been kept in subjection by David, so 
that neither retained without question the old time su- 
premacy. Each had some advantage with respect to the 
other. The northern kingdom possessed the greater ter- 
ritory, the larger variety of resources and the more nu- 
merous population. Its subjects were typical men of 
Israel, in every respect the equals of their southern 
cousins. The southern kingdom was compact, unified, 
less exposed to hostile attack, more able to use its last 
atom of resource. The rival kingdoms stood, on the 
whole, on even terms. For the first half of the century 
ensuing, while still "finding themselves," they were 
more or less actively hostile, but then settled down to 
two centuries of alternate friendship or enmity, accord- 
ing to the disposition of their rulers. Stanley charac- 
terized this rivalry — akin to that of Athens and Sparta, 
— as not unwholesome. Its value may best be esti- 
mated by following the development of each nation 
separately. 
The Reign of Jeroboam I. 

The man whom the northern tribes elevated to the 
throne was possessed of sterling qualities. He had en- 
terprise, courage, shrewdness and tact. His opportu- 
nity was in many ways unique. He was unimpeded by 
precedents. He had come into power on a moral issue, 
and had the hearty support of the prophetic party. Had 
he studied chiefly the welfare of the nation to which 



172 Historical and Expository Notes 

he belonged, a united Israel might yet have been a 
reality. But mastered by pride and ambition he de- 
liberately planned to make the disunion permanent. 
Not only did he establish as official centers of public 
worship the old sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan, and 
set up there attractive symbols of deity and appoint as 
priests any who could qualify, but he arranged for new 
and doubtless more convenient seasons for the great 
feasts, not coincident with those observed at Jerusalem. 
Thus, one by one, he sundered the ties that bound 
Israel together and encouraged a growing apart. Jero- 
boam's great drawback, however, was his lack of relig- 
iousness. He secularized his kingdom and thereby 
earned the doubtful dignity of being regarded as the 
initiator and supreme example of that career of selfish, 
strenuous wickedness which characterized the northern 
dynasties. 

The Frequent Dynasties. 

Jeroboam held his kingdom by the sword and by the 
sword his dynasty ended. Baasha, the third sovereign of 
Israel, was a sturdy and capable warrior, who sought 
to conquer Judah in King Asa's time and was removed 
from Judean territory only at the great cost of a pur- 
chased counter-attack by Benhadad of Syria. The re- 
lief thus brought to Asa by Benhadad was the occasion 
of much trouble to both the Israelitish kingdoms. It 
gave the Syrians an opportunity and an excuse for in- 
vasion which led to two centuries of aggression and con- 
flict. Baasha's dynasty gave way in turn to the nominal 
one of Zirnri, never established, but yielding in a week 
to that of Omri, the general of the army. 

The Dynasty of Omri. 

The reigns of Omri and his son, Ahab, were of sig- 
nificance to Israel. They were men of energy and re- 
source. They achieved much for their people political- 
ly, but deadened them religiously. Omri's greatest title 
to fame was his choice of Samaria as a capital. For 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 35 173 

ease of defense, beauty of situation and convenience, 
Samaria was unsurpassed. In other ways Omri was 
not as distinguished as Ahab. Micah 6 : 16 hints that 
both were responsible for religious laxity. As a war- 
rior Omri met with humiliating defeat, later on made 
up for by Ahab. Both were farsighted enough to favor 
a policy of alliance with the surrounding peoples. Those 
negotiated with Tyre and Judah were cemented by in- 
termarriage. The general idea behind this policy was, 
no doubt, a Palestinian coalition against encroaching 
Assyria. 

This political policy carried with it a religious hos- 
pitality, which deeply offended the prophetic leaders 
and alarmed them. When Ahab married Jezebel cour- 
tesy dictated that she should be allowed to erect a temple 
to the Phoenician Baal in Samaria, and to maintain a 
retinue of priests and prophets of her own. Ahab was 
in name at least a worshiper of Jehovah, and so were 
his people, but insensibly the energetic queen and her 
myrmidons gained influence not only at the capital but 
throughout the land. The people were fast coming to 
place Jehovah and Baal side by side, giving equal rev- 
erence to each. 

The Mission of Elijah. 

At this crisis there appeared a great original, solitary, 
unapproachable, stern, Jehovah's champion. Elijah 
demonstrated three facts: (1) that the Phoenician Baal 
was unable to respond to the appeal of his followers; 

(2) that Jehovah could hear and answer prayer; and 

(3) that he was the real lord of the land of Israel. By 
his own stalwart faith and quickening enthusiasm he 
swept away the sophistries of those who would harmon- 
ize the two kinds of religion and made active the con- 
science of Israel. A dangerous crisis in the history of 
religion was successfully passed on that memorable day 
at Mount Carmel when Elijah made himself the cham- 
pion of loyalty to Jehovah, and by his faith and courage 
overcame the hosts of Baal. 



174 Historical and Expository Notes 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

We find ourselves in the darkest days of Irsael's his- 
tory. The kingdom is under the sway of two singularly 
strong and equally bad personalities, — Ahab and 
Jezebel. 

Elijah appears on the scene as suddenly as a flash 
of lightning and a peal of thunder. Who he was, and 
whence he came we hardly know. One of the most 
striking and forceful figures in the Old Testament, he 
flames before us in a few scenes of dramatic force and 
interest, and passes, leaving behind him a message and 
a ministry which have affected many subsequent ages 
almost more powerfully than they did his own. In the 
present lesson he comes as God's spokesman against the 
shameful and yet shameless devotion of the chosen 
people to the worship of Baal. He seems to grip the 
whole nation and shake it loose from its sin, at any rate 
for the moment, dealing out unpitying punishment to 
the prize instruments of the degradation. 
Elijah and God. 

(1) The deepest secret of his power is revealed in 
his own description of the position he occupied. "Je- 
hovah . . . before whom I stand." It is a description 
peculiar to Elijah, and has a twofold significance. It 
first reveals his realization of responsibility. The su- 
preme King is Jehovah. It is at His court that Elijah 
gives attendance. There he receives his orders, and 
from thence he comes forth to deliver his message and 
fulfil his mission. This therefore suggests also his con- 
sciousness of resource. We often speak to-day of the 
necessity for "a good backing." To stand before God 
is to have God as backing. A man conscious of this is 
superior to, and independent of all human recognition 
and patronage. And we are not surprised at the hero- 
ism which characterized his dealings with men when we 
see this relation to God. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 35 175 

(2) This position recognized produced its effect in 
his ready obedience. God sent him to exile and loneli- 
ness for a little and "he went and dwelt by the brook 
Cherith." God sent him to dependence upon a widow 
in human extremity, and "he arose and went to Zare- 
phath." God sent him to publicity, and the rebuking j 
of a king and nation, "and Elijah went to show himself 
unto Ahab." Quick obedience is ever the true sign of; 
loyalty. Whether the position be hidden or manifest' 
matters nothing. That it is God's choice is everything. 
Such obedience vindicates itself as it reveals the wis- 
dom of God, and ever prepared for larger service. God 
proved at the brook and at Zarephath is the more easily 
trusted on Carmel. 

(3) The quiet and constant dependence of this 
rough and rugged son of thunder is very beautiful. In 
the quietness of the chamber of death at Zarephath, 
and amid the tumult of the trial by fire he turns to the 
same God, and in each case the argument of his appeal 
is rather that of the vindication of the divine name 
and honor, than his own. 

Elijah and Man. 

(1) There is nothing finer in these old Hebrew 
chronicles than the picture of Elijah's attitude to Ahab. 
At the first meeting he assumes in the name of Jehovah 
authority over the forces which make the temporal 
success of the nation, and announces the withholding 
of the rain. 

After three years they meet again. The angry king 
addresses the prophet as the troubler of Israel. In 
Elijah's reply there is a revelation of perpetual truth. 
True patriotism often is iconoclastic and revolutionary. 
Israel's sorest trouble was not the chastisement intended 
to restore her to Jehovah, but the apostasy which had 
made such visitation necessary. Elijah declared this to 
the king. 

(2) There was no pity in the heart of this man for 
the priests whose influence had permeated all society. 



176 Historical and Expository Notes 

In the days of Jehovah's vindication they must be 
utterly slain. There is much sentimental softness 
abroad to-day which excuses and spares evil things. 
Well might it be for us if there might be a revival of 
the loyalty that has no pity for the things which 
spoil. There have been tragic hours when priests 
have had to be slain and kings beheaded. If the meth- 
ods of our warfare have changed, at least loyal souls 
should be as unsparing in their antagonism to evil as 
ever. 

Conclusion. 

In Elijah's mission is revealed a method of God 
worthy of careful note. In the national history Elijah 
poetically accomplished nothing, for the decline con- 
tinued. Yet the message must be delivered for the 
strengthening of timid souls, the possible redemption 
of halting ones, and the leaving of no excuse to those 
who deliberately choose the evil rather than the good. 



Lesson 36. ELIJAH THE nAN OP COD. His Zeal 
and his Reward. Scripture Section, 1 Ki. chs. 
19-21; 2 Ki. 1:1—2: 18 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, O.D., Yale University 

The Fury of Jezebel. 

When Jezebel heard of the contest at Carmel and 
that her prophets had been ruthlessly put to death as 
imposters her rage knew no bounds. Undaunted by the 
sweeping victory that Elijah had won she determined to 
put him to death and gave public announcement of her 
purpose. It is not strange that even Elijah quailed 
before the angry queen. She was of royal stock and 
acted the queen all her life long to its bitter end. Her 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 36 177 

royal husband, her sons, her subjects were equally but 
as clay in her hands. She was one of those masterful, 
indomitable, implacable, irresistible, unsexed women, 
who appear at long intervals and assume a place in his- 
tory which is ineffaceable. Her hint was too sharp to 
be ignored, and the prophet, who had triumphed only 
the day before over hundreds, fled in haste from her 
reach. 

Elijah's Flight to Horeb. 

He went straight south to the edge of the desert at 
Beersheba. Finding a solitude he threw himself down 
exhausted and hence despairing. But God prompted 
him to continue his journey to the sacred mountain, 
Horeb, consecrated by the memories of Jehovah's watch- 
ful care for Israel. Here he felt himself to be in the 
very presence of Jehovah, and yielded himself to his 
tuition. It was while here that he learned to realize 
the manifestation of Divine power not alone in the 
rolling of the thunder, or the lightning's flash, or in 
other disturbances of nature's equilibrium, but in the 
whisperings, the gentle forces of life. He did not for- 
get the lesson. He had felt himself deserted and dis- 
honored, because his God-given victory had stopped 
neither the wrath of Jezebel nor her power. He realized 
that Jehovah would work in His own fashion and time, 
and that he must simply provide for the continuance 
of his work. He had not been set aside but only taught 
to wait. There were many reliable men in Israel who 
had not ff bowed the knee," many who were his spiritual 
children who would loyally continue his mission and 
achieve success. He returned from Horeb another man. 

Elijah's Further Work In Israel. 

He was naturally a silent and solitary man, a man 
for an emergency rather than a steady leader of com- 
munity or national life. For continuing his work he 
chose with enlightened judgment as a constant compan- 
ion, the inheritor of his influence and the executor of 
his hopes, a young man of a far different temperament. 



173 Historical and Expository Notes 

Elisha was in every way supplemental to his master. 
The latter was a stern ascetic of the desert, but Elisha 
loved to feast and chat and mingle with men and women 
at their homes. His cheerful presence was a benedic- 
tion; Elijah's was a signal of judgment. Beneath 
Elisha's genial humor was, however, a tenacity and 
boldness and ability to achieve which amply justified a 
choice which must have puzzled many an honest and 
pious Israelite. 

The training of Elisha was not the only interest of 
Elijah's latter days. It is probable that the judicial 
murder of Naboth that Ahab might have his garden 
for his own took place some years after Elijah's triumph 
at Carmel. The old prophet had been almost forgotten. 
The guilty king was vexed that he should appear only 
to reprove or denounce him. "Hast thou found me, 
my enemy?" But before Elijah's calm, dispassionate 
declaration of his guilt, Ahab's conscience was roused 
and his repentance gained. 
His Significance. 

The stern old prophet, thoughtful always in his 
patriotism, did two supreme services to his nation. At 
a time of religious crisis, when allegiance to Jehovah 
was coming to mean nothing at all, he recalled Israel to 
a frank consideration of religious values and to a 
free choice of Jehovah as the rightful and only lord of 
land and people. At another time of moral crisis he 
asserted the supremacy of simple morality to which no 
one, not even a popular and powerful sovereign could 
be superior. He recalled the nation to its best self and 
fired it with fresh zeal. Faithfulness to Jehovah ex- 
pressed by fidelity in moral issues was his inspiring 
motto. And while he may have felt that his hopes 
were far from fulfilment, we can see that they were 
abundantly justified. 
His Mysterious Death. 

His departure from life was mysterious, yet hardly 
more so than his life. He never acted like other men. 



Old Testament Biograpliical Series, Lesson 36 179 

The good Obadiah spoke with assurance when he 
pleaded that he had not the courage to announce to 
the frenzied Ahab that Elijah was to be seen, since on 
returning he might not be able to find him at all. The 
"sons of the prophets" wished to search for their master 
diligently because it was no new experience to them for 
the spirit of Jehovah to snatch him away suddenly from 
their midst. The actual facts regarding his death we 
of to-day can hardly even conjecture. He departed in 
some fashion that was recognized by all, even by Elisha, 
as final. 
His Later Fame. 

Elijah was of a nature truly titanic, a forceful per- 
sonality which overwhelmed his own generation and 
stirred the imaginations of the ages which followed. 
He forever remains the symbol of a needed reformation 
of the inspiriting value of one heroic soul, of the hope 
of an age which seems dispirited and almost defunct. 
In the past exile days when the corruption of the priest- 
hood and rulers were bringing Jehovah's worship into 
contempt, it was an Elijah who was looked for to bring 
fathers and children into an old time loyalty to Is- 
rael's ideals. It was the spirit of Elijah which was in- 
carnate in John the Baptist, his great-heartedness, his 
unyielding energy, his unswerving loyalty to his ideals. 
That such men are honored by being recognized as 
sharing in the spirit of the great prophet of Israel is 
a significant testimony to his greatness. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Introductory. 

There are some very tender and beautiful touches in 
the account of the final things in the career of Elijah. 
Following his great triumph and vindication on Carmel, 
came a period of very remarkable and yet natural re- 
action. This was followed by a time of seclusion during 
which, under circumstances of peculiar need, the prophet 
makes two appearances, the first to Ahab in the matter 



i So Historical and Expository Notes 

of Naboth's vineyard, and then to Ahaziah pronounc- 
ing sentence of death. Beyond this we have the account 
of his passing. Perhaps the most important lessons are 
to be gathered from the period of reaction after Carmel. 

Elijah's Panic and God's Care. 

The contrast between the man standing to all ap- 
pearance alone on Carmel, in majestic and magnificent 
heroism defying the corrupt court and the false priests, 
and the man fleeing filled with fear because 
of the threat of an angry woman, is most 
remarkable. Though remarkable it is yet per- 
fectly natural, if we may judge from the oft 
repetition of such experiences in the lives of God's most 
honored servants. There can be no doubt that the ten- 
sion of the experience on Carmel had been very great, 
and when the fire from heaven had fallen and the 
crowd had passed away, reaction was almost inevitable. 

The main value at this point is the manifestation of 
the exquisite tenderness of God. Elijah under the juni- 
per tree requesting that he may die is indeed a pathetic 
sight. Yet notice that the angel visitor has no word of 
reprimand, neither does he attempt anything in the 
form of spiritual instruction, but simply gives him 
something to eat and drink. It is a very beautiful 
revelation of what God would ever do for His servents 
under such circumstances. A man heroic under the 
strain and stress of work for the King breaks down, 
becomes filled with panic. The Divine method with 
such a man would be that of quiet ministry to his 
physical necessity, that he may be equipped anew for 
the conflict. 

Elijah's Pessimism and God's Answer. 

Refreshed and strengthened by the sustenance, he 
passed on to Horeb. Though the panic was passed, the 
pessimism was not. The man was laboring under a 
sense of failure. As he looked back upon his own zeal 
for God, and upon the disastrous result, as it seemed 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 37 181 

to him, of his work, he imagined he alone was left loyal 
to God. 

His mistake was twofold: First, he attempted the 
measure of his work by visible results, and secondly, 
he allowed his apparent failure to obscure his vision of 
the certain victory of God. 

Again it is very beautiful to notice God's method 
with him. Calling him to stand upon the mountain, 
He gave a double revelation, first, of the forces which 
are not evidences of the Divine presence, and secondly, 
of the sure and certain proof of Himself. Not in the 
wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire. Elijah's 
ministry had been largely of this description, but while 
it had its place, he had to learn that the greatest tri- 
umph of God could not be won by such methods. 

Then there came the still small voice, and the mar- 
ginal suggestions of the literal rendering is very beau- 
tiful, "The sound of a gentle stillness." It is by such 
manner and method that God wins His greatest vic- 
tories. Truly in all ages "the kingdom of God cometh 
not with observation " 



Lesson 37. ELISHA THE PEOPLE'S FRIEND. His 
niracles of Kindness. Scripture Section, 2 Ki. 
2: 19—4:44 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Vale University 

Elijah's Successor. 

It is customary to belittle Elisha and his work in com- 
parison with that of his great predecessor. A fair judg- 
ment in this respect is not to be reached by comparing 
their lives, for they were men of opposite mould, and 
fitted for differing careers. Elisha was glad to be known 
as one who had "poured water on the hands of Elijah" 



1 8a Historical and Expository Notes 

(2 Ki. 3 :11), yet he craved permission to be his especial 
heir, continuing in their fulness those qualities and that 
policy for which Elijah had been so well known. Neither 
Elisha's appeal nor his bearing when thrown upon his 
own resources indicated a lack of self-confidence. In his 
own way he took up in earnest the great cause of es- 
tablishing the loyalty of Israel to Jehovah. The pro- 
phetic stories embodied in the books of Kings have 
Elijah as their hero. He set, so to speak, the prophetic 
standard by which all others, even Elisha, have ever been 
judged. Without belittling him, however, we may rea- 
sonably conclude that Elisha did a work no less notable 
and far more effective, without which, in fact, the work 
of Elijah would have become of no effect. 

The Situation Elisha Confronted. 

The death of Ahab created for Israel certain political 
as well as religious and social problems. He had been 
the ablest opponent of Syria when attacked, and her 
most reliable ally when they worked in harmony. He 
had foreseen the great danger which threatened the Pal- 
estinian states and had contributed with energy, skill 
and resources to the common defense. He had been an 
intelligent and popular sovereign, one who under right 
palace influences would have avoided all criticism. He 
failed to reach the most enduring and wise results be- 
cause he lacked a certain firmness of will which would 
have made him independent, if necessary, of advice or 
criticism. His death left matters in doubtful condition. 
His sons were unequal to the responsibilities of govern- 
ment, and yielded to the influence of their mother. He 
had not put Elijah to death according to the wish of the 
queen, but he had continued to tolerate the worship of 
Baal in Israel. The problems which Elisha had to face 
were thus of real importance. There was needed in the 
nation a leadership which should take into consideration 
both religious and political ends, and seek to solve them 
in a way which would make for unity. The prophet be- 
came a willing aspirant for this leadership. His method 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 37 183 

was eminently sane and effective. It was to manifest a 
real sympathy for the troubles of the common people, 
to live close to them, to become their acknowledged 
counselor and friend, and hence to gain a real leadership 
among them. 
His Miracles. 

No profound discussion of the miracles of Elisha is 
possible or profitable. We only know them at second 
or third hand, as told and retold by loving disciples. It 
is neither the power of God nor of man over nature that 
they reveal, but God's providence and loving kindness. 
Elisha seemed well fitted to bring home Jehovah as a 
reality, a being who deals with life as it is lived, to his 
people. We find him associating with his countrymen, 
not avoiding them. Their local troubles, whether these 
were a fountain of bitter water, or a poisoned feast, or 
a scanty meal, he set himself to remedying. He was 
famed for attributing all power even over the most or- 
dinary actions to his God. 

In the story of the woman of Shunem we have a char- 
acteristic and suggestive incident, full of deep and ten- 
der feeling. It portrays the noble lady, glad to show a 
gracious hospitality to the holy man of God for his own 
sake, yet making it unobtrusive and adjustable to the 
prophet's own mood. He desires to show her a favor, 
but she needs none of those usually coveted. Discover- 
ing her secret yearning, Elisha promises her a son, who 
is born and lives to become a lad. A sunstroke put an 
end to his life. She placed the body in the prophet's 
chamber, and hastened with all speed to Mt. Carmel, 
where apparently was Elisha's usual abode. Oblivious 
of aught else, she stayed not till she reached Elisha and 
clasped his feet in mute entreaty. Such bold conduct 
in a woman was unprecedented. She had had only in- 
direct speech with him before. It betokened some great 
calamity, great enough to make her desperate. Her wail 
of despair gave the prophet a clue to her trouble. He 
ordered his servant to go with speed and place his staff 



184 Historical and Expository Notes 

upon the face of the child. The mother, however, would 
not rely upon anything but his presence, so he followed 
on, recovered the lad, and give him to the humbly thank- 
ful mother. 

Not only with the humble and with those of high 
standing did he deal. Kings often sought his aid. The 
story of the expedition against Moab illustrates the in- 
dependence of the prophet. Elisha cared not for King 
Jehoram of Israel, but was willing to assist Jehoshaphat 
of Judah. He put himself into an ecstasy with music 
and then advised them what to do. The great success 
of that expedition, so overwhelming that the beleaguered 
king purchased safety at the price of the public sacri- 
fice of his first-born son and heir to the throne, a deed 
which awed and shocked the allied forces so that they 
abandoned the expedition, is not attested by historical 
memoranda found elsewhere. 
The Moabite Stone. 

That Moab during this half century won her freedom, 
although at a costly price, is attested by the famous 
monument, preserved in fragments in the Louvre, called 
the Moabite stone, discovered by Klein, a German mis- 
sionary, but eventually secured by a Frenchman. The 
rivalry to secure it made the poor natives think it valu- 
able for amulet purposes, so they heated it and cracked 
it to bits with cold water. The Frenchman who was to 
blame spent a fortune in its reclamation and reproduc- 
tion. It is the stele of victory erected by the king of 
Moab in his own capital after the land was once more 
his own. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

Elijah had told Elisha that in asking for a double 
portion of his spirit he had asked a hard thing. Yet 
according to the sign which Elijah had mentioned, there 
is no doubt that the blessing was granted. This fact at 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 37 185 

once makes the story of Elisha the more remarkable, 
and gives us the teaching of principal value in this les- 
son. A comparison of the ministry of the two men re- 
veals the most striking contrast. All the outstanding 
characteristics in the work of the former are conspicu- 
ous by their absence from that of the latter. The fire, 
passion, and sternness of Elijah we should have looked 
for in Elisha, from the fact that he possessed a "double 
portion" of his spirit. The term "double portion," how- 
ever, does not indicate quantity, but rather the special 
gift of sonship, and suggests rather quality. Indeed, 
there is almost an utter absence of these qualities. The 
possibility of sternness and anger does not indeed mani- 
fest itself in his attitude toward Jehoram ; but the gen- 
eral method and tone were of peace and beneficence 
rather than war, roughness and judgment. This contrast 
in spite of the reception of the "double portion" of the 
Spirit, is the ground work of our instruction. 
Diverse Operations of the Spirit. 

The enduement of the Spirit for service does not for 
a moment mean that the man receiving the blessing is to 
be thereby fitted for doing the same kind of work as an- 
other and in the same way. That the reception of the 
Spirit referred to was that of the Spirit of God is evi- 
dent from this very contrast. If the reference were to 
the spirit of Elijah, then it must indicate a manifesta- 
tion of his temper and tone, which is exactly what did 
not happen. The Spirit of Elijah's service and power 
was the Spirit of God, and the blessing asked and ob- 
tained was a son's portion of that Spirit. The natural 
fitness of each man was not interfered with or changed. 
It was rather energized and made forceful. The natural 
fire, force, and fervor of the man Elijah were made 
more hot and powerful and impassioned by the Spirit, 
while the quiet, peace-making qualities of Elisha were 
emphasized and made profitable for the accomplishing 
of the purposes of God. There is no lesson that we need 
to learn more to-day than this. We are so constantly 



1 86 Historical and Expository Notes 

wanting the power of the Spirit to enable us to do some- 
thing like some one else, whereas His presence and 
power are granted to enable us to fulfil our own mis- 
sion, and do our own work. To the man of sternness 
He is a force of denunciation, stiffening the back and 
strengthening the courage for most daring denunciation 
of sin. To the man of peace and gentleness He is a 
veritable atmosphere of tenderness, rendering ever more 
compassionate the heart, and patient the life. 

The Unifying Principles. 

While these differences are as clearly marked, there 
are underlying identities which must be carefully noted. 
Each man recognized his relation to God. Each stood 
before God as His servant, waiting for His commands, 
and living only to carry them out. Each also on account 
of this consciousness, maintained an attitude of digni- 
fied authority toward those to whom they were sent. The 
enduement of the Spirit always gives this overwhelming 
consciousness of God, and responsibility to Him alone; 
and thus creates the strength of the message delivered, 
whether of justice or mercy, of anger or of compassion. 

Learn. 

That the bestowal of God's Spirit is not evidenced by 
reproduction of another's service. Magnificent diversity, 
and not uniformity of operation, is the method of the 
Spirit. Each worker's natural disposition, qualities, de- 
termine largely his service and the method of its dis- 
charge. So that lavishly endeavoring to do what others 
have accomplished is a hindrance to the performance of 
the work set before us. Admiration of some of God's 
mighty workers may, and should be, an inspiration to 
heroic effort, but mere imitation of such is responsible 
for the caricatures of the great that masquerade offen- 
sively in every walk of life. 

The supreme aim of the servant of God should be self- 
abandonment to his Master. With such, and through 
such, omnipotence performs the miracles of conquest. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 38 187 

Lesson 38. ELISHA THE PUBLIC BENEFACTOR. 
His Aid against the Syrians. Scripture Section, 
2 Ki. chs. 5-7, 13 : 14-21 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Length and Character of His Service. 

The prophet Elisha lived a life noteworthy not alone 
for its unselfishness and gentle beneficence, but as well 
for its continuance of usefulness and its genuine render- 
ing of national service. He outlived five kings of Israel 
and was sincerely mourned by the sixth, the youthful 
Jehoash (2 Ki. 13: 14-19) as the stanch champion 
of his country's interests, "the chariots of Israel and the 
horsemen thereof." How old the prophet was we cannot 
tell, but omitting any years which should be reckoned 
to King Ahab or to King Jehoash, he was pursuing his 
honored and honorable career for fifty-nine years, the 
combined reigns of Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu and 
Jehoahaz. These were on the whole years of political 
weakness, of occasional disaster and of continual appre- 
hension, part of the time of Syria and always of the 
greater nation whose ambition to dominate the western 
Asiatic world was being made painfully apparent to the 
smaller nations which inhabited it. During all this 
time the active, alert prophet was in truth a mainstay 
of his people. Once when the Syrian king had found 
his most secret plans repeatedly foiled, he complained 
that there must be a traitor in his palace. His servants 
replied, "Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the 
king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bed- 
chamber." They were doubtless right, although Elisha's 
helpfulness implied no use of miraculous power but a 
cleverness, sagacity and insight which put to wise use 
the hints which a man as popular among the country 
people could readily pick up. So much was Elisha's 
aid depended upon, indeed, that when Samaria was so 
closely besieged by Benhadad that the capital became 
wholly destitute of food, the king — perhaps Jehoahaz — 



1 88 Historical and Expository Notes 

laid the blame upon Elisha, who had remained in his 
house quiescent, and determined to have vengeance 
(2 Ki. 6 :31, 32) upon him. Never had a prophet a more 
signal triumph than Elisha when, on the very next day, 
the spoils of the Syrian camp made food abundant and 
cheap in the market of Samaria. 
The Assyrian Advance. 

With Syria the struggle was not uneven. Under 
Jehoash, when the great prophet was about at the end of 
his life, Israel gained the upper hand, and under Jero- 
boam II., his son, there was never any question of 
rivalry, Israel being clearly dominant. Ahab's shrewd- 
ness in forgiving an earlier Benhadad and in retaining 
the Syrian Kingdom intact as a buffer-state between 
Israel and the advancing Assyrian became justified. 
Syria's subordination to Israel was due in the main to 
her repeated conflicts with Assyrian armies. In these 
wars she was usually aided by the kings of Israel. The 
records of Assyria mention Omri, Ahab and Jehu. The 
Assyrians were not invariably successful, but they never 
forgot a purpose or permanently yielded an advantage. 
For more than a generation approximating the reign of 
Jeroboam II. they ceased the resistless advance which 
had carried the empire's southern border on the coast 
to the very border of Syria, only to renew it and make 
great progress under Tiglath-pileser, the real conqueror 
of the Westland. The Assyrians were merciless oppo- 
nents and shrewd fighters. They were ready for any 
manoeuvre that promised victory: they were as ruthless 
as Eomans in pursuing an advantage. Long before they 
actually threatened Israel itself, their prestige and prog- 
ress caused grave apprehension to those who were re- 
sponsible for the well-being of the nation. 

The Great Revolution in Israel. 

With the Assyrians Elisha had, so far as we know, 
little to do. In his day they were not the most danger- 
ous foes of Israel but only enemies who needed watch- 
ing. The prophet's resourcefulness centered upon the 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 38 189 

immediate defense and the internal development of his 
country. He had never lost sight of the heritage of re- 
sponsibility bequeathed to him by his great master. 
When he healed the captain of the host of Syria of his 
disease, it was in the name of Jehovah of Israel, "before 
whom" he "stood"; and the haughty noble by his en- 
treaty for permission to take back with him some of the 
sacred soil that he might stand thereon while worship- 
ing Jehovah, acknowledged that Jehovah of Israel was 
the only God worthy of worship. 

But Elisha was not merely a consistent servant of 
Jehovah among the nations : he was unremitting in his 
support of Jehovah's supremacy over Israel. There yet 
remained many a worshiper of Baal in the land of Israel. 
Jezebel was still the queen, her power increased as 
queen-mother, her favorites apparently the men of 
power. But there was deep feeling among the people 
against her and the dynasty of Omri, which needed only 
a word from an approved source to kindle into a destruc- 
tive fury. 

Elisha had long bided his time. He had not con- 
cealed his dislike, even contempt, for the dynasty. He 
had not failed to do his duty by his country, but his 
loyalty was racial not personal. The opportunity came 
when Joram was in Jezreel, far from his army, and 
Ahaziah of Judah, his ally, by kinship, was with him. 
By a bold stroke the prophet swept away the whole con- 
nection of Baal-favoring kings. He anointed by his 
deputy the favorite captain of the army, Jehu, the son 
of Nimshi, a bold, merciless, ambitious warrior, who 
founded in resolute Oriental fashion a dynasty which 
maintained itself for a century upon the throne of 
Israel. Jehu made short work at the same time of the 
adherents and ministers and shrines of Baal. In this 
stern fashion was the prophetic purpose fulfilled. 

What Was Established. 

Two matters were definitely settled by these occur- 
rences. One was the absolute acceptance by the nation 



190 Historical and Expository Notes 

of its particular relationship to Jehovah and to no other 
deity. From the days of Elisha no Israelite ever doubt- 
ed or denied it. The other was a belief in his power to 
determine Israel's circumstances for weal or woe. A 
blind confidence in his protection became the character- 
istic attitude of every Israelite. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.O., Northfleld, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The words with which King Joash greeted Elisha are 
identical with those of Elisha's greeting to Elijah. In 
each case a prophet was near his passing; and in the 
first case his successor, and in the other the king of 
Israel recognized his true value to the nation. The per- 
petual weakness of the chosen people had been that of 
desiring conformity to the nations surrounding them. 
It had ever been difficult to lean wholly on the unseen 
arm of Jehovah, and resort had continually been taken 
to horses and chariots and alliances with the armies of 
aliens. Yet no real strength had ever come from such 
action. All the true victories had resulted from loyalty 
to the Divine intention and dependence upon the Di- 
vine strength. The prophets through much misunder- 
standing and often through suffering had persistently 
insisted upon this, and had done more for Israel than 
all her armies and alliances. This is the conviction 
which Elisha expressed at the passing of Elijah, and 
now Joash voices at his own passing, "My father, my 
father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen there- 
of." 

This is the deepest lesson of this study, that the man 
who stands amid the nation always uttering the Divine 
message and revealing the Divine purpose is the true 
patriot. Israel could far better do without her king, her 
alliances, her horses and chariots, than without such a 
man; and the nations of to-day whose greatness has come 
through the blessings of the Gospel of Christ can dis- 
pense with any class of man or agency rather than the 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 38 191 

prophets who keep alive the testimony concerning essen- 
tial things. The great events of this lesson all show 
Elisha bearing this kind of testimony, compelling the 
consciousness of the Divine over-ruling in the minds of 
men; and thus recalling the true meaning of their ex- 
istence among the nations. 

Naaman. 

While individual truths of great importance might be 
considered in connection with this story, it is better for 
us to watch Elisha as he stands for the vindication of 
the deepest values. The king of Israel sees in the com- 
ing of Naaman an attempt on the part of the king of 
Syria to create a quarrel. Elisha finds an occasion for 
manifesting the power of the prophetic office, and so 
demonstrating the existence of the supreme King Je- 
hovah. With quiet dignity and courtesy he lays upon 
the leper conditions which tax his pride, and call forth 
the principles of faith and obedience. When at last he 
obeys, his confession is of the supremacy of the God of 
Israel, and thus Elisha's purpose is gained. The bless- 
ing bestowed, patronage and gifts are declined by the 
prophet, thus revealing Jehovah's readiness to bestow, 
and His independence of all human patronage. This is 
statesmanship of the highest character. 

The Bands of Syria. 

In days when the king of Syria was warring against 
Israel, Elisha acting in harmony with God was able to 
thwart his purposes, until at length to all human appear- 
ances, Elisha himself was hemmed in at Dothan. On 
that occasion there was revealed to the fearful servant 
a glimpse of those legions who surround this prophet of 
God. It was a great vision, perpetually visible to those 
who like the prophet are carrying out the purpose of 
God. 

"Lo, to faith's enlightened sight 
All the mountain flamed with light. 
Hell is nigh, but God is nigher, 
Circling us with hosts of fire." 



192 Historical and Expository Notes 

Through supernatural intervention the prophet was 
delivered, and the enemies were led to Samaria. Then, 
again, but on a new side, the prophet revealed God. 
These men were spared with a consideration which must 
have surprised them, and we are not surprised to read 
the "band of Syria came no more into the land of 
Israel." Thus Elisha was indeed "the chariots and 
horsemen of Israel," delivering with a might and 
majesty impossible to any earthly power. 
The Siege of Samaria. 

Again in the day of calamity and famine, when the 
King of Israel is utterly at a loss, and horses and 
chariots are of no avail, the prophet predicts deliverance, 
which comes without human aid, and in vindication 
of the word and power of Jehovah. 
Conclusion. 

To serve God is the highest service any one can give 
to the nation. The men who insist upon Divine govern- 
ment, and confer the Divine benefits, are those who most 
truly deserve the crown of patriots. 



Lesson 39. REVIEW OF LESSONS 27-38 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D.. Yale University 

The Kingdom's Growth. Its Necessity and Significance. 

By these lessons we have come at last to the time when 
a fair realization can be gained of the important part 
which the kingdom played in the preparation of Israel 
for her work for the world. It meant much to the na- 
tion, creating it to begin with, since no real nationaliza- 
tion was feasible until the closer unity of the kingdom 
was felt. It had great value as a political expedient. 
The problem which confronted the tribes of Israel was 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 39 193 

not greatly dissimilar to that which the thirteen original 
states in America faced. Each tribe found it hard to yield 
its individuality, but was taught by bitter experience 
that to be the helpless prey of every outside foe was far 
worse than to enjoy a nominal freedom, which in fact 
was limited in many ways. The result of a union was 
a decided enlargement of opportunity. The kingdom was 
an improvement socially, as a matter of course, for it 
broadened the horizon of every family, every commun- 
ity, every clan. Its greatest effect was religious. For 
religious thinking the national point of view was all- 
important. The simplicity of the days of Samuel and 
Saul gave way not merely to a stately, regular impres- 
sive ritual service at the public sanctuaries, maintained 
by a regular priesthood, whose prestige and influence 
made them the peers of any in the land, but to a con- 
ception of Jehovah in His relations to Israel and to man- 
kind which would have been impossible to those of the 
crude and narrow days of the judges. The sense of God 
grew with the national experience, especially with its 
conception of the world. 

The Men who Brought It About. 

We have been studying the truly great men who were 
God's instrumentalities in this development. Never was 
His method of promoting progress more clearly illus- 
trated. These men were not perfect men : they did not 
need to be such. Their function was leadership, and 
leadership implies a close human sympathy with those 
who are to be led. Each one contributed his share, but 
it was only a share. Saul with his magnificent physique, 
dashing courage and imperious manner was near enough 
the king to satisfy the aspiration of his people for a 
while. He aroused their energies and let them feel a 
sense of power, but David with his lovableness, his heroic 
qualities, his fairness and large-mindedness, sustained 
and directed by his truly royal conception of how a 
kingdom should be organized and to what it should at- 
tain, really laid the enduring foundations of the mon- 



194 Historical and Expository Notes 

archy and gave the people a sense of its significance. 
Under him Israel began to "find herself," to realize 
her place and power, and to dream of the future. Solo- 
mon made the most of the nation's resources, seeking to 
bring it into touch with other nations in policy, in dis- 
play and in fame. He overestimated the resources of 
his people, no longer made rich by the spoils of constant 
and successful warfare, but he prevented the nation from 
going backward by registering its advance in monu- 
ments of marble, bronze and cedar. The Israel of Jero- 
boam, Omri, Ahab and Jehu was a smaller nation, but a 
resourceful and reflective one, learning the world, meet- 
ing the shock of aggressive nationality, discovering true 
values and declaring them through prophetic word and 
through national act, being often taught, to be sure, by 
bitter experience, but growing into a fuller appreciation 
of the best and highest. 
Its Achievements. 

Politically Israel never was more than relatively im- 
portant. As a nation it grew because the great sovereign 
peoples of Egypt and Assyria were prevented by local 
dissensions and dangers from aggressiveness abroad. 
When Assyria got ready to attack Palestine, there was 
no power able to prevent her from carrying out her pur- 
pose. 

Socially during these three centuries the people made 
great advances, far beyond the clan stage of organiza- 
tion with which they started. Individualism gained 
recognition, property rights were guarded, the authority 
of the king made laws for every one. Wealth accrued ; 
capable men were able to win the fitting reward of their 
enterprises. 

Eeligiously the greatest revolution took place. The 
Israel of Samuel and Saul was a devout but simple, 
pastoral people whose general conception of Jehovah 
was that of a protector and benefactor who was especial- 
ly interested in them. Under David's tuition they be- 
gan to realize his wider purpose and power. The later 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 39 195 

experiences gave them yet broader ideas of the world 
about them and correspondingly enlarged their concep- 
tion of what Jehovah must be to cope with it. The na- 
tion's loyalty to Jehovah after the leadership of Elijah 
and Elisha never swerved. His superiority they accept- 
ed without reserve. His genuine character and true 
relationship with men they had yet to fully discover. 
For this last advance Israel was now prepared. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

The lessons of this quarter have gathered around 
four of the most remarkable names in Hebrew history, 
and cover its most splendid period. Under David the 
kingdom was consolidated and its capital established. 
Solomon erected the temple which symbolized the re- 
ligious nature of the people. After a period of declen- 
sion Elijah, the rugged messenger of truth, recalled the 
nation to the one and only worship, while the more gen- 
tle Elisha kept alive in the heart of the chosen people, 
and in the consciousness of the surrounding nations the 
fact of the supremacy and active government of God. 

To review this period from the standpoint of the 
human is to be inexpressibly saddened. So far as hu- 
man realization of Divine purpose is concerned, there 
seems to be one long dreary succession of failure. The 
very national successes are so inter-penetrated with ele- 
ments of evil that the ultimate break-up and failure is 
certain. The sins and follies of David had sown deeds 
of dissension which would bear a terrible harvest in fu- 
ture generations. The luxurious splendor of the court 
of Solomon, for the moment attracting attention, yet 
made inevitable the corruption that followed. The fiery 
fervor of Elijah only caused a temporary check to the 
abominations of idolatry, and the undying words of 
Elisha to Joash reveal his sense of the weakness of pur- 
pose in the king of Israel, and of the subsequent defeat 
of the people in years to come. 



196 Historical and Expository Notes 

It has ever been thus in human history. No fact is 
more evident than that of man's perpetual failure to 
realize his opportunity. The widest outlook on history, 
whether we call it sacred or profane, reveals the truth 
that the upward movement which is clearly apparent 
has not been of man, but in spite of him. Surely the 
race is a love-encircled one, and the voice of God is ever 
heard crying not to Israel only, "How shall I let thee 
go?" 

The only true view in these lessons is that of the 
Divine government and activity. Mount that height 
and take observations, and there is no room for sadness, 
for in spite of failure, God is seen moving on toward 
the great Messianic consummation, incorporating in the 
consciousness of the people some new lessons never to be 
unlearned, and destined to carry out the fullest pur- 
poses of His untiring love. 

In many a dream the men of the past had seen a city 
and sought it. Jerusalem became the imperfect reali- 
zation, and even to-day men speak the name with tender- 
ness, their hearts thinking of another city yet to come 
in which the true possibilities of human life shall be 
realized. For high ideals the world owes more to old 
Jerusalem despite her tragic end, than to Home, or Lon- 
don, or New York. Her temple has established forever 
the truth that the real center of national greatness is 
the recognition of God. Whether by glory, or destruc- 
tion, or restoration, or neglect, that temple was the 
revelation of the nation's condition. The history of the 
temple is the history of the nation, and with its passing 
there passed the people as a national force. The lesson 
abides, that "happy is the people whose God is the 
Lord." 

Gradually, moreover, the lesson of the supernatural 
and direct government of God for which Elisha stood 
is emerging from the underlying consciousness of man 
into the clear light of day. 

Thus God is seen choosing men fitted to the times 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 39 197 

for the accomplishment of work, the full value of which 
the rolling centuries alone declare. Let us take heart, 
knowing that perhaps the deepest meaning of what we 
do to-day will only be known and felt in the distant fu- 
ture. For us it is enough that we have worked with 
Him. He works, moreover, in spite of all our failures, 
and though all around may often look dark, the light of 
His government is diffused through all, and one day will 
overcome. Then will be the clear shining of the undying 
noon. 



HISTORICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES. 



Lesson 40. ASA AND THE FIRST REFORHATION 
IN JUDAH. Solomon's Policy Reversed. Scrip- 
ture Section, 2 Chron. chs. 14=16 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

Two Views of Asa. 

That Asa was a great and good king, the first one to 
realize with some closeness the ideals of his race, is 
perfectly evident to one who reads with care the Bib- 
lical material concerning him. That he was far from 
being perfect, either in wisdom or in piety, is, alas ! evi- 
dent. The author of Kings and the Chronicles alike 
recognized his determination to bring about a sweeping 
reform in the Jewish state. The former admits that 
it was not complete ; the latter does not give the reader 
this impression as a whole, yet virtually acknowledges 
it in 15 :16. It was much more difficult for the Chron- 
icler to emphasize the failure to do away with high 
places since many generations before his day they had 
become a symbol of utter corruption. The two accounts 
of Asa's career, taken together, give us, however, a 
fairly clear notion of his purposes, power and prestige. 

Asa's Inheritance. 

Asa, the third king of Judah, was the great grandson 
of Solomon. His very long reign, of more than forty 
years, was marked with great prosperity. The great 
problem which faced him as a sovereign was the main- 
tenance of national faithfulness to Jehovah. Eehoboam 
and Abijam had both followed in the footsteps of Solo- 
mon in permitting a religious hospitality which amount- 
ed to unrestrained idolatry. The effects of this in the 
compact little Judean state became very deplorable. 
Court and people together were full of corruption. It 
speaks well for Asa that he had the courage to accept 

198 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 40 199 

the responsibility which he could not fail to see, of re- 
versing the traditions of a quarter of a century. How- 
he came to differ so sharply from his predecessors we 
are not told. Perhaps it was a national and obvious 
reaction of a noble mind, not unacquainted with the 
Davidic ideals. Asa had an advantage in the smallness 
of his territory. If the king could dominate the capi- 
tal, he controlled the state of Judah. This fact ex- 
plains his unprecedented act of discipline with refer- 
ence to the queen-mother. Apparently she would not 
yield to the royal will, and forced Asa, in order to 
achieve success in his reform movement, to strip her 
of all her power. It manifested in the clearest fashion 
his determination. 

His Religious Policy. 

Asa's vigorous efforts for reform are described in 
much the same way in each of our authorities. The 
idols and abominable symbols of nature worship were 
put away. The worship of Jehovah was renewed in 
proper fashion. The people were gathered together in 
a great assembly to acknowledge the covenant of the 
nation with Jehovah. The purified temple was enriched 
by many gifts and made increasingly dear to the people. 
In short Asa took the ordinary methods which a vig- 
orous and clear-headed purpose of reform would dic- 
tate. That he did not remove the high places is no 
ground for reproach as a closer study of the facts of 
Hebrew religious development shows us. It would 
never have occurred to a good man of his day that wor- 
ship in high places, that is to say at village altars, was 
other than commendable. It was long after Asa's day 
that the necessity was perceived and acted upon of for- 
bidding worship at these shrines, and authorizing only 
that at the temple in Jerusalem. This did not happen un- 
til these shrines had become practically given up to 
corrupt and licentious forms of worship. In Asa's day 
they merely reduplicated the usefulness of the temple. 
Asa formulated and executed a sound religious policy 



200 Historical and Expository Notes 

which emphasized the true ideals of the Jewish state. 
According to the Chronicler, his long reign was promo- 
tion of much prosperity. He built up the nation on 
every side. 

His Political Reverses. 

Notwithstanding what the Chronicler reports about 
Asa's successful defense of his country against Zerah 
the Ethiopian, he cannot be called a warrior king. The 
Chronicler, in fact, describes that battle as one which 
was fought by Jehovah, the men of Judah having little 
to do but to pick up spoil. Asa's military methods are 
revealed to little advantage by his dispute with Baasha 
over boundary lines. Baasha, an aggressive warrior, had 
seized and fortified Eamah, thus controlling the most 
important approach of the Southern Kingdom, and 
threatening the very capital itself. Feeling helpless, 
Asa sent a huge bribe to Benhadad of Syria, requesting 
his intervention, a proposition only too gladly accepted 
by that sagacious king, for it gave by invitation a right 
to interfere in the affairs of the Hebrew States. It was 
a capital error. A long series of calamities followed in 
its wake. Hanani, the seer, well said, "Herein thou 
hast done foolishly, for from henceforth thou shall 
have wars." 

Apparently the king realized that this criticism was 
just, and that his act had dimmed the lustre of an 
otherwise noble reign, for the Chronicler leaves the im- 
pression that his closing years were tinged with bitter- 
ness. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

Our lessons now lead us into the midst of troublous 
times in the history of Israel. The whole nation is 
reaping the harvest of the sowing of Solomon. Instead 
of being separate from surrounding nations, and conse- 
quently witnessing to them in united strength, the peo- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 40 201 

pie are suffering from false alliances and inability to 
influence others, while they themselves are divided. 

At intervals there arose kings having the vision of 
the ideal who set themselves in greater or less degree 
to its restoration. Of these Asa was the first. This 
particular lesson is a two edged sword, showing in the 
case of Asa the strength of the man who puts his trust 
wholly in God, and the weakness of the same man when 
his faith falters. It is not so much a picture of indi- 
vidual life as of the influence of an appointed leader 
on the nation. At these two sides let us look. 
Victory by Faith. 

1. Purity. The reform of Asa is most evidently 
based upon his understanding of the purpose of God, 
and belief therein. Kecognizing this underlying im- 
pulse, we notice that his first work was that of the cor- 
rection of abuses. He did not commence to rearrange 
relations with surrounding kings. His first act was 
readjustment of the nation's relation to God. Foreign 
altars, high places, pillars and Asherim were swept out 
of the land. The teaching is evident that the matter 
of vital importance in individual and national life is 
religion, and anything affecting its reality must be 
ruthlessly swept aside. 

2. Peace. The immediate result of such action 
was the establishment of peace within the borders, for 
"Jehovah had given him rest." Following upon such 
rest came the building of cities, and the prosecution of 
such activity as ministered to the true strength of the 
people. We have yet to see the nation who will dare 
to venture on this policy of purity as the condition of 
peace. If the revelation of Scripture is worth anything, 
it should teach us that peace is the gift of God and 
follows upon determined purity. 

3. Poweb. Such conditions did not render the 
nation immune from hostility. The hosts of Ethiopia 
gathered against them. In the day of trouble, how- 
ever, Asa knew the place of strength and Jehovah smote 



202 Historical and Expository Notes 

his enemies before him, and victory followed purity. 
This also we are far from believing. Would that some 
nation could be persuaded amid the mistrust and po- 
litical cunning of others, and take their stand wholly 
upon God ! 

4. Popularity. A very remarkable and inter- 
esting statement is made that the nation gathered 
around Asa "when they saw that Jehovah his God was 
with him." This truth is frequently demonstrated. 
Whenever a man arises devoted to God and determined 
to lead only in His faith and fear, multitudes respond 
to his call and follow. 

Defeat by Fear. 

The story of Asa's failure is briefly told, but it is as 
important as the story of his triumphs. 

1. Fear. How to explain the presence of fear in 
the heart of this man is not easy. Possibly long con- 
tinued peace had ministered to his weakening. Not 
that peace is wrong, but that it has its perils, and un- 
less the soul be watchful, the moral fibre weakens where 
there is no conflict. Be the reason what it may, the 
fact remains that when Baasha gathered to battle 
against Judah, the heart of Asa was afraid. 

2. Folly. "Herein thou hast done foolishly," 
said the prophet to him. His folly consisted in forget- 
fulness of Jehovah's watchfulness, and in his consequent 
alliance with Benhadad. Forgetfulness of God always 
magnifies the force of evil and leads to seeking secur- 
ity that is false. 

3. Fierceness. Asa's anger with the prophet 
who tells him the truth is characteristic of the soul that 
has abandoned faith. The faithless heart resents ex- 
posure. 

4. Feebleness. The closing story of Asa's life 
makes a 6ad ending of a man who had so remarkably 
co-operated with God. In human history nothing is 
more appalling than the wrecks of men who were once 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 41 203 

men of power. The strongest man is ever weak when, 
instead of faith, fear dominates the life. 

Conclusion. 

The rectification of national decay can only come in 
one way. That is the true statesman who sees God and 
sets all lines of national life in right relation to Him. 
Alliances which forget God issue in no permanent 
value, though for the moment they may seem to be for 
the strengthening of the national position, 



Lesson 41, JOASH AND THE SECOND REFORHATION 

IN JUDAfi. BaaSlsra In Judah Suppressed. Scrip- 
ture Section, 2 Ki. chs. 11, 12 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Reign of Jehoshaphat over Judah. 

The great son of Asa was a contemporary of Ahab 
of Israel. He continued the religious policy of his 
father, exhibited a larger capacity for administration 
and brought great prosperity and peace to his country. 
Actuated, no doubt, by a deep sense of the desirable- 
ness of peace with Israel, he made affinity with Ahab, 
marrying Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, to his son 
Jehoram. This was a very serious error of judgment, 
although entirely in line with the political methods of 
the day. To provide against war by an alliance of the 
two royal families was a common political expedient. 
Athaliah, however, was like her mother Jezebel, a pur- 
poseful, indomitable, ambitious woman, capable of using 
to the utmost the opportunities which lay in her path- 
way in the promotion of the policies which she favored. 



204 Historical and Expository Notes 

Through her example and influence the worship of the 
Phoenician Baal was given a popularization in Judah 
which became a source of real danger to the states. 
Jehoshaphat was truly a great and good king. The nar- 
ratives which speak of him indirectly, namely, 1 Kings, 
ch. 22, and 2 Kings, ch. 3, bear out this judgment. He 
was a sincere worshipper of Jehovah and a loyal friend 
of the prophets. So long as he lived, the evil conse- 
quences of his alliance with the Northern Kingdom 
were not apparent. 
His Immediate Successors. 

Neither Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, nor Aha- 
ziah his son, were men of force. They were quite un- 
der the control of Athaliah, so that in the case of the 
latter it was fitting to say he was son-in-law to the 
house of Ahab. Athaliah's policy in Judah had even 
a freer scope than that of Jezebel in Israel, since the 
court was relatively a greater power in the smaller king- 
dom. In Judah, however, as in Israel, there were never 
wanting those who were faithful to the national ideals, 
and the eight or nine years of this regime were not 
enough to overthrow the results of the work of Asa and 
Jehoshaphat. 
The Reign of Athaliah. 

When Jehu initiated a new dynasty in Israel by put- 
ting to death Jehoram his king, he also terminated the 
reign of Ahaziah by causing him to be murdered. This 
was the bloody-minded Athaliah's opportunity to estab- 
lish herself upon the throne of Judah. Scorning a 
regency, she "arose and destroyed all the seed royal/' 
Her motive for this murderous deed can only be in- 
ferred. It justified absolutely the stern measures sub- 
sequently taken in reprisal. There is little which can 
be definitely related concerning her short reign. She 
contented herself, apparently, with promoting the in- 
terests of Baalism in every way, not seriously interfer- 
ing with the temple of Jehovah or its ritual. She had 
a masterful desire to dominate the state. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 41 205 

The Crowning of Joash. 

One little prince had been saved at the time of the 
massacre, by his aunt the wife of Jehoiada the high 
priest, and had been brought up by them in the secret 
recesses of the temple. He was a promising boy, and 
when he was six years of age, the high priest determined 
to place him upon the throne. The eleventh chapter 
of 2 Kings gives a graphic account of the revolution. 
Since the palace and the temple were in one enclosure 
it was necessary to act with great care. Having secured 
the allegiance of the requisite number of troops, Jehoi- 
ada arranged to have the coronation ceremony at the 
time of the changing of the guard so that double the 
usual number of soldiers could be on hand without in- 
curring suspicion. Thus protected, the little Joash 
was anointed and hailed as king. Hearing the demon- 
stration, Athaliah came up to the temple to investigate, 
but only to meet her justly deserved doom. Her death 
was followed by the rooting out of Baalism from city 
and land under the leadership of Jehoiada, who became 
the regent. 

His Religious Achievements. 

The reign of Joash is very much what we might ex- 
pect from a boy controlled from his earliest youth by 
a strongly dominating character. He was jealous to 
forward the interests of the worship of Jehovah. He 
was interested in the repairing of the temple, and he 
supported in every way the authority of the priesthood. 
It was probably during this half century that the priest- 
hood of the temple acquired the dignity and influence 
which emboldened the high priest and his subordinates 
at a later period to defy king Uzziah himself. The chief 
religious achievement of the time of Joash, indeed, was 
the establishment of the temple at Jerusalem, its priest- 
hood and its ritual in a position of unquestioned su- 
premacy over all other shrines. As long as Jehoiada 
lived his influence was supreme. Not unnaturally his 
death was an opportunity for Joash to seek counselors 



206 Historical and Expository Notes 

of another character. This resulted in a factional dis- 
pute between the priestly party and their rivals which 
threatened to disrupt the state. It blighted the end of 
Joash's long reign, but not in such a way as to destroy 
the results of its dominating policy. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The story of Joash thrills with romantic interest, is 
full of importance, and provides a solemn warning. 
These three phases are to be found in the natural order 
of procedure. An imaginative writer might easily 
build up a story full of incident and surprise around 
the early years. The teacher of men could not fail to 
find important lessons in the story of the life. The 
prophet desiring to warn men against the perils of the 
way, could find vivid illustration in the account of his 
final failure and death. 

The Romance of the Early Years. 

Every touch of the story thrills with interest. The 
saving of the baby from the blood-thirsty ambition of 
Athaliah, the last of Jezebel's daughters! The long 
hiding in the bed-chambers of the temple courts, where 
during those years this child of godless father and 
grandfather was surrounded by the influences of godli- 
ness! It is the story of the putting of heredity into 
the midst of environment in the earliest years, with 
what issue will be seen. Then the crowning by the 
priests under the guidance of Jehoiada, followed by 
the slaying of Athaliah ! There is never a story so ro- 
mantic as the one which perpetually might be told of 
God's over-rulin<? of the wrath of man, in ordpr to the 
consummation of His purposes. When Athaliah de- 
sfroved the se^d roval. there lav hut the life of a baby 
between the fulfilment or failure of the "Divine prom- 
ise. Amid the victorious wrath of an ambitious woman, 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 41 207 

God causes the tender solicitude of another woman to 
snatch this child from surrounding peril and guard it. 
Through all history this kind of thing recurs. More 
than once the whole purpose of God has rested upon 
the miraculous preservation of some baby life. The 
child of a Hebrew slave committed to the waters of the 
Nile, finally led the exodus. The child of a Hebrew 
maid, carried into Egypt to escape the brutality of 
Herod, accomplished the greater Exodus. Silently but 
irresistibly God works; amid apparent disaster He tri- 
umphs. 

The Teaching of the Life. 

The direct activities of Joash reveal the strength of 
the influence of the early years. He was a child of the 
temple. There his childish life had been lived, and all 
the influences of the sacred place had enfolded him. 
It is not remarkable then, but perfectly natural that 
at his crowning he, under the guidance of Jehoiada, en- 
tered into a covenant between Jehovah, the people, and 
himself, resulting in the breaking down of the altars 
of Baal, and the initiation of a movement for repairing 
the temple. Jehoiada's influence over him is manifest 
in the statement he "did that which was right in the 
eyes of Jehovah all the days wherein Jehoiada the priest 
instructed him." It is also evident that he exercised 
a right influence over Jehoiada, and the priests, as is 
seen in his dealings with them concerning the build- 
ing of the temple. It would seem as though the lesson 
of supreme value for us is that of the importance of 
early training. Here is a boy whose father and grand- 
father were utterly evil men, putting the strength of 
his life into the work of reformation and reconstruction. 
There is no work for the Church or the nation of greater 
importance than that of safeguarding the young. If 
the children of evil parents could be removed and sur- 
rounded by the atmosphere of the temple, the chances 
are that the force of a true environment would prevail 
against a false inheritance. 



208 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Warning of the End. 

These stories become sadly monotonous as they bring 
lis face to face with such constant repetition of failure. 
Oh, the misery of it, and the warning of it! After 
years of true living, this man manifested the most fatu- 
ous weakness in that he took the sacred treasures, in 
order to buy off the possibility of invasion by Hazael. 
Moreover, when rebuked by Zechariah, he became angry, 
and instigated the murder of the prophet, who was the 
son of his old friend Jehoiada. Finally he died, him- 
self murdered. 

Perhaps in these last days the hereditary taint mani- 
fested itself. If so, it was because he ceased to abide 
in the true environment of relationship to God. How 
solemn the warning! No man can afford to cease the 
life of watchfulness, and this is especially true if some- 
where in the past there is a history of passion and of 
sin. 



Lesson 42. ISAIAH THE STATESriAN-PROPHET. His 
Warnings against Social Corruption and Foreign 
Alliances. Scripture Section, Is. 5: 1—9: 7 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Century Preceding Isaiah. 

From the close of the reign of Joash until the time 
that Isaiah began to prophesy was not far from a cen- 
tury. It was a century which witnessed some striking 
changes. As in Israel during the long and peaceful 
reign of Jeroboam II, so in Judah during the contem- 
poraneous reign of Uzziah, a marked social and political 
change came over the people. They began as never be- 
fore to come into touch with the wider world. Com- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 42 209 

merce and war each meant more than contact with the 
neighboring states. The simplicity of life gave way 
to contrasts of luxury and profuseness with abject 
poverty; of power in high places, unblushingly used to 
further private interests, with much bitterness of soul 
among the people. There was a strong tendency to 
make the worship of Jehovah prevailingly mechanical, 
a sort of quid pro quo religion. This development was 
caused by the unwonted prosperity and profound peace 
maintained by Uzziah, and by the lack of that heroic 
type of religious leadership which alone would seem to 
interpret and direct such success. Joash had firmly 
established the priesthood as the religious leaders of 
Judah. There is no evidence of any loss of zeal in 
Judah for those outward forms of religious life which 
the priesthood especially fostered. It became the criti- 
cism of Isaiah that in their excessive zeal for the per- 
petuation of the forms of their religion, the people of 
Judah had quite lost sight of its spirit. All these con- 
ditions developed abnormally in the fated reign of Ahaz. 
He was a young king, unbalanced, unprincipled, with- 
out large or generous qualities. Such a sovereign and 
his country were sure to come to a speedy wreck unless 
they could have a brave, clear-headed and broad-minded 
prophet like Isaiah to remind them of their obligations 
and opportunities. 

The Political Horizon. 

Perhaps not even Isaiah, notable as he was, could 
have gained the ear of his people, had the later years 
of Uzziah and those of his successors been free from 
national apprehension. Judah in common with Israel 
and the other Palestinian states, was watching the grad- 
ual advance of the invincible armies of Assyria. They 
had the most profound respect for her resourcefulness 
and skill. When Rezin and Pekah besieged Ahaz in his 
own capital, they were unquestionably trying to force 
him to join a general offensive and defensive alliance 
of all the petty states of Palestine. Ahaz believed it 



210 Historical and Expository Notes 

was better worth his own while to declare himself and 
his people vassals of Assyria and leave the other nations 
to their fate, and he persisted in so doing, despite the 
dismay and contempt of his noblest citizens. He there- 
by basely yielded without a blow the freedom which 
Judah had always cherished, and dishonored his 
dynasty. 

The Work of Isaiah. 

Isaiah was apparently a disciple of the slightly earlier 
prophets Amos and Hosea. In his case as in theirs the 
inspiring factor was a dominating conception of the 
character of Jehovah. Isaiah's point of view is ex- 
pressed in the account of the vision which constituted 
his call. Jehovah was not merely the Eighteous One 
of Amos, or the Being of limitless love revealed to 
Hosea, but the Holy One of Israel, the Being without 
any limitation. In Him the prophet's confidence was 
absolute. But this trustfulness quickened in him a 
sense of the nation's responsibility for maintaining 
ideals of character and conduct which such a being could 
approve. His earliest preaching, therefore, followed 
closely upon that of Amos and Hosea, being broader 
and more final only because he was a man of wider ex- 
perience, deeper insight and finer education. Amos 
was a farmer and Hosea probably a man of limited 
prominence, while Isaiah was one of the very foremost 
men of his day, one who enjoyed no doubt the finest 
educational advantages of the day. He belonged at 
court, his tastes were all aristocratic, and he was espe- 
cially well able to understand the political tendencies 
of the times. Like Amos and Hosea, he denounced in 
these earliest sermons of Chapters 2-5 the corruption of 
the people, and predicted that it would involve a visi- 
tation by Jehovah, who might in His sovereign provi- 
dence use Assyria as His instrument of punishment; 
but he rounded up their expression of hope for the fu- 
ture by his famous phrase, emphasized by being given 
as a name to one of his children, "The remnant shall 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 42 211 

turn," an idea which became immediately fundamental 
to prophecy. It claimed, without limiting, the fulfil- 
ment of Jehovah's redemptive purpose. 
His Political Views. 

Naturally one who held so broad and strong a con- 
ception of the character of Jehovah and of his close re- 
lationship with men of the right sort would not hesi- 
tate to trust him in time of need. He sought to re- 
assure the cowardly Ahaz by reminding him of the ab- 
surd difference between the emergency which con- 
fronted him and the power of Jehovah. When Ahaz 
would not yield his purpose nor were the people will- 
ing to prevent its execution, Isaiah saw clearly that the 
over-lordship of Assyria was inevitable, that the king 
had cast away the inheritance of his worthy successor, 
that days of gloom and disaster were before the people, 
yet so fully did he trust Jehovah's power and appreciate 
his purpose that he could see at the time of deepest 
darkness the dawning of a great light. In due time the 
repentant Remnant would be given a victorious leader 
under whom they would bring to realization the his- 
toric will of Jehovah. 

This was a truly remarkable religious outlook, worthy 
of a master mind. Entirely unlimited in time, it yet 
kept alive the faith and encouraged the fidelity of those 
in Judah who followed the great prophet. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfleld, Mass. 
Introductory. 

There is no more remarkable era in the history of 
the ancient people than the prophetic, and there are no 
more remarkable men than these prophets. Among them 
in many respects Isaiah is supreme. These men were 
the messengers of God, first and last and always. They 
did not, however, deal with the theories of spiritual 
matters, but with the application of fundamental truths 
to the conditions of life which they found around them. 
They were more occupied with national matters than 



212 Historical and Expository Notes 

with individual. Having the largest outlook upon the 
purpose of God in the creation of the nation, the bur- 
den of their messages consisted in calling men back to 
right relationship with God, in order that the nation 
might realize itself and fulfil its destiny. 

In the present lesson we have revealed the supreme 
vision which created Isaiah's outlook and inspired his 
work, the consequent conviction which came to him of 
the true condition of the people and the ultimate vic- 
tory of God, and the instances of the statesmanship re- 
sulting from such convictions, resulting from such a 
vision. 
A Great Vision. 

Uzziah was probably the only king Isaiah had known, 
and at his death the throne on earth became empty. 
It was in the presence of that empty throne that he 
became conscious, as never before, of a throne that was 
never empty. The king was dead, but the King 
reigned. In the hour when his eyes had no king to 
look upon, he beheld the King. The result produced 
within his own soul the vision of sin, with the answer- 
ing cleansing of the coal of fire, and prepared him for 
the consecration to the purposes of God. To believing 
hearts the lesson is perfectly evident, and yet how slow 
the world is to learn it. The first condition of true 
statesmanship is a vision of the throne that is never 
vacant, and of the One who sits thereupon. In all his- 
tory as men have had that vision their statesmanship 
has made for the uplifting of the people. Where it has 
been lost, policy has tended to degradation. 
The Consequent Conviction. 

The vision of God created not only a vision of Him- 
self, but a vision of the true condition of the people. 
In the song of the vineyard we have a poetic and force- 
ful description of the failure of the nation. God in 
perfect justice looks for justice, but finds oppression; 
looks for righteousness, but hears the cry which tell 9 
of wrong. The message of a man thus seeing clearly 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 42 213 

is not only general, but becomes sharply scientific, and 
deals with the sins of men and of women, thus reveal- 
ing the actual sins of a God-neglecting society. And 
yet again, such a vision of God creates a sense of His 
ultimate triumph, and the prophet is able to speak to 
his age of the coming Immanuel, upon whose shoulder 
the government is to rest. It is ever thus. To see God 
is therefore to see sin clearly, and to dare to name it 
definitely. It is nevertheless to see beyond all the 
process to the consummation, and to know the true 
kingdom must be established under the true King, for 
"the zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform it." Pro- 
phetic messengers are often called pessimistic, because 
they dare to tell the truth about sin. As a matter of 
fact, they are the only optimists, for they alone know 
the certainty of the coming kingdom. 

The Consequent Statesmanship. 

In the hour of the peril of his people Isaiah was able 
to raise his protest against panic, and to utter a note 
of warning against the formation of alliances which, 
however expedient they might appear, were contrary 
to the purpose of God and against the highest welfare 
of the state. 

Conclusion. 

There is only one principle of true statesmanship. 
It is not that of human diplomacy, but that of the con- 
sciousness of God. When statesmen are actuated by 
other motives, it is time for the voice of the prophet to 
be heard reaffirming the truth about God, and resolutely 
setting all national and personal life in the light of that 
truth. Such a prophet may not be popular, and he may 
have to cry out in anguish, "Who hath believed our re- 
port, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed," 
but if he keep silent, then there is no hope for the na- 
tion. The truest patriotism comes of the recognition 
of God, and expresses itself in the delivery of His mes- 
sage. 



214 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 43. HEZEKIAH AND THE THIRD REFORM- 
ATION IN JUDAH. Idols Destroyed, and the Temple 
Service Reorganized. Scripture Section, 2 Chron. 
chs. 29-31 

1. Historical Notes 

By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Pause in Isaiah's Career as a Prophet. 

Isaiah's prophetic career was at least forty years in 
length, and perhaps more extended. He described him- 
self as beginning in the year when King Uzziah died, 
namely, about 739 B. C, and we may be confident that 
he was an active prophet about 700 B. C. From the 
days of his impotent attempt to influence the political 
policy of King Ahaz until well into the reign of Heze- 
kiah, there are but few public messages which can with 
reasonable probability be attributed to him. It is gen- 
erally supposed that the strong displeasure of King 
Ahaz and the marked unwillingness of the people to 
adopt the policy he advocated caused Isaiah to go for 
the time into a kind of dignified retirement. Gathering 
like-minded men around him, he devoted himself to 
study and instruction. It is not unlikely that the young 
prince Hezekiah came thus under his continued influ- 
ence; for he not only was a lifelong friend and loyal 
supporter of the noble prophet, but evinced the utmost 
zeal in promoting the policy and principles for which 
Isaiah stood. 
Hezekiah's Inheritance. 

It is not easy to determine the date of the accession 
of Hezekiah to the throne. Of the two statements in 
2 Kings, ch. 18, verses 9 and 10 assume 728 B. C. as 
the date; verse 13 assumes 715 B. C. Nor is the author- 
ity of the chronicler good enough historically to make 
it certain that of the two great events mentioned in this 
lesson as especially noteworthy the religious reformation 
took place at the very beginning of the reign. Good 
authorities hold to the various opinions which are mere- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 43 215 

\j noted in order to remark that the exhibition of the 
religious value of the career of Hezekiah does not de- 
pend upon any one solution of these uncertainties. We 
may be perfectly sure that the deliverance from Sen- 
nacherib and the great reformation were two notable 
facts of Hezekiah's reign, whether they occurred with a 
considerable interval between them, or, as many think, 
in quick and logical succession. Ahaz bequeathed to 
Hezekiah a depressing situation. Judah was an ac- 
knowledged and helpless vassal of Assyria. The north- 
ern kingdom was either on the eve of losing its political 
individuality, or had already lost it. Sargon, one of 
the most pitiless and persistent of world sovereigns, sat 
upon the throne of Assyria. The little kingdoms of the 
Mediterranean coast were apprehensive of speedy ex- 
tinction. Hezekiah's people could easily have lost heart 
altogether. 
His Personal Qualities. 

Hezekiah was a very different man from his father. 
He gladly identified himself with better men and a 
nobler policy. The principle emphasized earlier by 
Isaiah that Jehovah was wholly worthy of trust and con- 
fidence, met a complete response in his mind. He un- 
questionably set himself to that which was feasible in 
the way of reform, and to such measures as would unite 
once more the most earnest and faithful of his subjects, 
and encourage them and his whole kingdom to renewed 
enthusiasm for national betterment. The courage of 
the young king was shown by his unhesitating attack on 
objects and places of long established duration. He 
seems to have realized that the village places of public 
worship with their symbolic pillars and trees were in- 
creasingly hurtful in fostering forms of worship essen- 
tially hostile to that of Jehovah, and destroyed many 
of them. Particularly did he break in pieces the bronze 
serpent, regarded with idolatrous veneration by the 
people as a relic of the days of Mosaic leadership. What- 
ever hindered the wise promotion of Jehovah worship, 



216 Historical and Expository Notes 

he destroyed. None the less did he turn his attention 
to the everyday needs of his country. By sharply re- 
pressing the raids of his neighbors, he made Judah re- 
spected and feared by every other petty state, and re- 
garded by them as their natural leader. Like a prudent 
sovereign, moreover, he foresaw the possible exigencies 
of the future and put much time and means into the 
construction of a pool and conduit which added largely 
to the certain water supply of the fortified city. 

The Popular Revival. 

That one of Hezekiah's temperament and purposes 
should seek to arouse a renewed interest in the temple 
and its services goes without saying. Concerning the 
exact method by which he carried out his laudable pur- 
pose, only the chronicler informs us. His tendency to 
describe each event of the history in terms of the usage 
of his own day, which was five hundred years later, and 
the very considerable difference between his description 
of the details and that given in the book of Kings, make 
us unwilling to lay too great stress upon particulars. 
It is not worth while to draw many conclusions concern- 
ing the religious methods of Hezekiah's time from the 
chroniclers account. It is unfortunate that the chron- 
icler is our only authority for the holding of the great 
passover, since the writer of Kings enthusiastically re- 
fers to the passover held by Josiah, 2 Kings 23 : 21, 22, 
and seems to say rather distinctly that it was the first 
great celebration since the days of the Judges. It is 
certainly strange that so important and characteristic 
a national festival should have fallen into disuse. 
Quite possibly, as some have suggested, the historical 
writers never have occasion to mention it because of its 
very frequency. 

As related by the chronicler, Hezekiah's scheme of 
reformation was most comprehensive. Having opened 
the temple, he bade the officials to cleanse and sanctify 
it, and then held a great public service of worship. As- 
sembling then his people from all parts of his dominion 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 43 2 1 7 

and those who could be reached elsewhere, a great pass- 
over was held, especially symbolizing the reunion of 
Jehovah and all His faithful ones; 2 Chronicles 30: 18, 
19 well describe the broad and free spirit of such a cere- 
mony as must have taken place under the guidance of 
Hezekiah and Isaiah. Such a getting together quick- 
ened the popular conscience and led to a general re- 
vival of religious faith and practice. The beneficent 
effects of this religious reform, if it took place early 
in the reign, were about as temporary as they are often 
found to be in similar situations. The enthusiasm and 
prestige of its two leaders swept into nominal conform- 
ity and possibly into temporary zeal many, especially 
of the upper classes, whose hearts were not in the move- 
ment. Very few years elapsed before they were the 
avowed enemies of all that Isaiah represented. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The story of Hezekiah's reign affords an instance of 
one of the most thorough reformations in the history 
of the ancient people of God. There can be no doubt 
that the character of the man was largely the result of 
the influence upon him of the teaching and personality 
of Isaiah. In applying the lessons of this reformation, 
it may be well to consider the consciousness of the king 
out of which it sprang, and the conduct which charac- 
terized it. 

The Consciousness Producing Reformation. 

When Hezekiah ascended the throne his kingdom 
was surrounded by enemies. Instead of giving his at- 
tention to the state of affairs from the standpoint of a 
politician, he at once struck at the root of the whole 
mischief. God had been insulted, and to His throne 
right relationship must first be established. This is a 
truth abiding for all time — the condition of the temple 



218 Historical and Expository Notes 

is more important than that of the frontier. Religion 
is a matter of greater moment than foreign policy. 
Dealing thus with fundamental matters, it is remark- 
able to notice how keen was Hezekiah's sense of sin as 
to its nature and effect. His description (2 Chron. 29: 
6, 7) of the development of sin is worthy of close study, 
so graphically does he set forth what so often takes 
place, namely, trespass, evil done in the sight of God, 
God forsaken, faces turned from His habitation, clos- 
ing of the doors, putting out of the lamps, and failure 
to offer incense and offerings. 

Equally clear is his sense that all the tribulation and 
anguish following is the result of sin. When Gladstone 
said that England's greatest trouble was the weakening 
of her sense of sin, he uttered the words of profound 
statesmanship. The trouble is that familiarity with 
sin is so terribly liable to rob men of the sense of its 
awfulness. Hence the profound necessity for cultivat- 
ing that communion with God, and familiarity with the 
vision of His holiness which, compelling us to measure 
things by His standards, will keep us conscious of the 
real nature of sin. Only out of such consciousness can 
true reformation ever spring. 

The Conduct of the Reformation. 

It is most interesting to study the line of Hezekiah's 
procedure. He began with himself. It is "in my 
heart." This is the language of definite determination, 
not of sentimental inclination. It is the language of a 
man taking a lonely definite stand for God. He then 
called priests and Levites to come and cleanse the tem- 
ple. It took the whole company of these men sixteen 
days to carry out the filth. After the Levites, the 
princes were called for the offering of a sin offering for 
the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. 
Following this, Israel and Judah were summoned to 
assemble and keep the passover, the great feast, which 
carried them back to the birth of the nation and re- 
minded them of their relationship to God. Following 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 43 219 

this again came the breaking in pieces of the obelisks, 
and hewing down of Asherim, and breaking down of 
high places, and of altars. 

This is the true line of reformation work. First, a 
man convinced and consecrated for initiation. Then 
judgment begins at the house of God. It is well to re- 
member that the temple will have no power with the 
nation until its own filth is carried forth. There must 
be fitness for service before God puts into commission. 

Following the re-consecration of priests and the 
cleansing of the temple must come recognition by the 
rulers of their responsibility toward God. Public peni- 
tence of those in high places is of the utmost import- 
ance. It is thus that earthly authority is made mighty, 
for the influence which comes as the Divine benediction 
is permanent, is mighty in its force, and unlimited in 
its scope. Then beyond these must be the coming of 
the rank and file back to the broken altars, back to the 
consciousness of God, back to worship. And finally, 
with the restoration of the true, there must be the reso- 
lute breaking down of the false, for there can be no fel- 
lowship between righteousness and iniquity, no agree- 
ment between the temple of God and idols. 



220 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 44. HEZEKIAH IN TROUBLE. The Help Rendered 
him by Isaiah. Scripture Section, Is. chs. 36-39 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Vale University 

The Accession of Sennacherib. 

Empires won by force of arms are retained only by 
the constant exhibition of overmastering might. Sar- 
gon, the ruler of the Assyrian empire, had proven that 
he could both win and hold securely the many king- 
doms which acknowledged themselves to be his vassals. 
By a severe lesson he had taught the little principali- 
ties of Palestine to beware of defying him. In all prob- 
ability Judah was not involved in the revolt which made 
this lesson necessary, for the reason that Isaiah used 
his influence (Is. 20) against such an outbreak. 

When Sargon died, his son and successor, Sennach- 
erib, was confronted by a rapid succession of revolts 
which almost stripped his vast inheritance of its value. 
He was forced to begin with the Eastern and Southern 
dependencies and to conquer them into actual subjec- 
tion. Gradually he worked around to the "Westland." 
The states of Syria and Palestine had revolted along 
with the others, Hezekiah, this time, being unable to 
resist the pressure of his nobles who were quite strong- 
ly arrayed in favor of throwing off Assyria's galling 
yoke. No doubt they would scarcely have dared such a 
move, had not the sovereign of Egypt, eager to weaken 
the power of his hated rival of Assyria, heaped up prom- 
ises of aid and support. 
His Steady Advance upon Palestine. 

Sennacherib proved himself fully adequate to cope 
with even so deplorable a situation. Despite the in- 
trigues of his wily enemies (Is. 39), the formidable 
coalitions against him, the wide extent of the revolting 
territory, he addressed himself with great skill, sagac- 
ity and patience to the subjection of his rebellious prov- 
inces. Within about three years of his accession he had 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 44 221 

fastened his grip again upon the greater portion of the 
old empire and was free to turn his attention to Syria 
and Palestine. A good share of the chapters in the book 
of Isaiah were written about this time, and reproduce 
for us the conditions with which Isaiah had to deal. 
His Dealings with Hezekiah. 

Sennacherib quickly crushed the rebellious prince- 
lings of the Mediterranean coast. He overran Judah, 
but Hezekiah, at a tremendous cost, purchased pardon 
and nominal independence. The tardy advance of the 
Egyptian army to attack Sennacherib was formidable 
enough to make him unwilling to have a strong city 
like Jerusalem in his rear, so he demanded — contrary 
to his pledged word — its immediate surrender. This 
was unnatural or at least unexpected, but it greatly al- 
tered the situation. It stamped the Assyrian as treach- 
erous and lacking in good faith, and justified Isaiah in 
exhorting the king to confidently maintain his rights, 
trusting in the help of Jehovah. The king rose to the 
demand of the hour and refused absolutely to yield the 
city. It was so advantageously situated as to require a 
long and costly siege, but he never had the opportunity 
to get at it. He was obliged to gather in his troops to 
meet the onset of the Egyptian army and did not again 
threaten Jerusalem. 
Isaiah's Share in the Defense. 

Hezekiah would hardly have been equal to the situa- 
tion, had not the prophet Isaiah stood at his right hand. 
He was the far-sighted statesman of the day. When 
the besotted nobles were plotting a bold resistance by 
the aid of Egypt to the great king, he declared with 
scorn (Is. 30: 7) the worthlessness of such an alliance 
and exhorted the people to trust in none save Jehovah, 
their God. This was another way of saying that they 
ought to follow the policy which was dictated by honor 
and wisdom and good faith. 

When the Assyrian became the heartless deceiver, de- 
liberately breaking his plighted word, then Isaiah felt 



223 Historical and Expository Notes 

that God could not but thwart the selfish, boastful and 
needless destruction of the city in which seemed to cen- 
ter all hopes of the future of Israel. He steadfastly 
encouraged Hezekiah to resist, and declared that the 
city was inviolate. Alone he sustained the courage of 
king and people by his own magnificent faith and defi- 
nite hopefulness. 
The Great Deliverance. 

Sennacherib routed the army of Egypt; but in the 
very hour of victory his great force, attacked by pesti- 
lence and disturbed by rumors of defections at home, 
fled away from Palestine in haste. It was a notable con- 
firmation of Isaiah's confident declaration. It estab- 
lished the king and people in their purpose to serve 
whole-heartedly and forever. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Introductory. 

In this lesson Hezekiah is seen in two different places 
of trial. The first is relative, that of Sennacherib's in- 
vasion. The second is personal, that of physical sickness. 
It is important to notice how the most honored servants 
of God are liable to times of testing, and in the present 
case it is of great value to watch this man, from whose 
experience we gather encouragement and warning. 
The National Trouble. 

The challenge of the Eabshakeh was at once daring 
and blasphemous. He first announces the folly of put- 
ting any trust in the king of Egypt. Then in tones of 
mockery he suggests that Jehovah has commissioned 
them to come up against the land. It was indeed an ad- 
dress full of strategy, framed by a man who evidently 
understood exactly how to strike terror into the hearts 
of the Hebrew people. Their contact with Egypt had 
always brought trouble to them ; and their history had 
taught them that God had visited them in punishment 
through peoples outside the covenant. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 44 223 

Such hours are the most perilous to the servant of 
God. Never is there greater need of communion than 
when the tempter blasphemously lies in the language of 
truth. It is ever one of the subtlest methods of evil to 
take the arguments of faith and use them against the 
people of faith. The enemy adopted it in the wilder- 
ness with Jesus. 

Hezekiah went into the house of Jehovah and com- 
municated with His servant Isaiah. The result was 
immediate. Isaiah sent a message of hope to Hezekiah, 
and the Eabshakeh withdrew. There is but one place 
of refuge when faith is so subtly assaulted, and that is 
the place of communion with God. In that exercise, 
perplexity vanishes and faith is established. The ex- 
tremity of man is man's opportunity for proving God, 
and to act in accordance with this fact is always to see 
deliverance wrought. 

The trouble is not over, however. It presented itself 
again and in more daring form. The messengers now 
brought a definite and blasphemous defiance of Jehovah. 

The prayer of Hezekiah is full of beauty, and its 
method will bear study as a pattern for all time. It 
first affirms the truth concerning the position and power 
of God; then speaks of the trouble threatening; and 
finally asks for deliverance. In every day of trouble it 
is well to reaffirm the grounds of confidence in the pres- 
ence of God, and then lay the facts of peril before Him, 
seeking His help. When we are conscious of the power 
at our disposal, we have confidence both to speak our 
fears and to emphasize our hopes. 

The promise of the answer to Hezekiah came through 
Isaiah and took the form of an impassioned defiance of 
the boastful foe, in a great boasting in the strength of 
Jehovah. 

To know the secret place of communion is to know 
true courage. Courage is an affair of the heart, and 
when the heart is homed in God all opposing forces are 
measured by comparison with Him. Such comparison 
can do no other than wake the song of triumph. 



224 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Personal Affection. 

The picture of Hezekiah sick, and the revelation his 
song gives of his passion for life are most pathetic. 
Here again he turns to Jehovah. Jehovah hears and 
spares his life. Notice in passing that while the restora- 
tion was by the will and act of God, nevertheless means 
were made use of to bring about the recovery. 

It is a great question whether this prayer for life was 
wise, or rather whether it revealed the highest possible 
attitude of life. During the fifteen years added Heze- 
kiah committed the greatest folly of his life in the mat- 
ter of the Bab}donian ambassadors. Would it not have 
been better for his life to have been shorter and so saved 
from a failure which entailed such subsequent sorrow? 
It cannot be said that it was actually wrong, for God 
heard and granted his request. The question is whether 
there is not a better way, namely, ceasing to desire even 
life, save as it comes as the gift of God. Some prayers 
teach us when answered, that there is a better way than 
the one we asked. The Psalmist declares of the desires 
of the ancient people in the wilderness, "He gave them 
their request, but sent leanness into their soul" (Ps. 
106 : 15). The lesson is not easy to learn, but it is full 
of importance; it is better to rest content in His pro- 
vision, praying only that His will should be done. 
Conclusion. 

This whole lesson deals with a man of prayer and re- 
veals the place and power of prayer in a life, and also 
its limitations. It is good in every hour of peril to find 
the way into the sanctuary, and placing between the 
soul and its foes the living God, to wait for His deliv- 
erance. In the hour of personal trial it is good to turn 
the face to the wall to see God only, but then commun- 
ion and rest are better than desire and petition. Better 
to walk through the dreaded darkness and maintain a 
testimony that is unmarred, than to seek a deliverance 
in the strength of which to fail and falter. "Fret not 
thyself." . . . "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently 
for Him." 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 45 225 

Lesson 45. JOSIAH AND THE LAST REFORHATION IN 
JUDAH. The Centralization of Worship. Scripture 
Section, 2 Ki. 22: 1-23: 30 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Idolatrous Reaction under Manasseh. 

The last few years of the reign of Hezekiah were 
doubtless years of outward harmony. Then surely the 
prophetic party was in full favor. It directed the pol- 
icy, it affected the tone, it established the standards of 
the nation. Perhaps it was too paternal and trium- 
phant; perhaps its promises were too glowing and its 
exactions too frequent. At any rate the accession of 
the young Manasseh for a reign of half a century was 
marked by a complete reversal of conditions. The 
prophets were persecuted to the death. The gods of the 
Assyrian overlords became popular and their shrines 
were multiplied. The temple itself was not exempt 
from the presence of an idolatrous image. The over- 
throw of all for which Isaiah and his followers had 
stood seemed complete. 

The Prophetic Opportunity. 

But even then the situation was not absolutely hope- 
less. The prophets could not for a long time take an 
active part in public life, but it was equally impossible 
for such men to be wholly inactive. Driven into se- 
clusion, they were forced in a natural way into literary 
and theological constructiveness. They began to give 
themselves to the task of collecting, arranging, and in- 
terpreting the records of the past generations, with the 
particular purpose of showing that fidelity to Jehovah 
was the secret of the prosperity of the past and disre- 
gard of His will an invariable assurance of disaster. 
Thus began to come into being such reviews of history 
as we find in the books of Judges, Samuel and Kings. 
There was also a work of collating and publishing the 
sacred law which seems to have been taken up by them 



226 Historical and Expository Notes 

in this generation. If the book of Deuteronomy in its 
present form did not come down from the time of 
Moses, as many hold, it seems to have been a greatly 
needed restatement and condensation of ancient and 
hallowed material, which was thus put into a form 
which would appeal to the men of that day. Thus the 
prophets, while under the ban of the king, were really 
able to do two kinds of constructive work which were 
greatly in demand. 

The Young King Josiah. 

Meanwhile they were not ceasing from their chosen 
work of personal influence, and at last their day again 
returned. With the accession of the young king Jo- 
siah, a new era dawned for the righteous and godly ele- 
ment in Israel. Endowed by nature with fine and 
strong qualities, he was happily under the tutorship and 
influence of such men as Jeremiah and Zephaniah, the 
strong leaders of his generation. With real wisdom, 
however, they advised the little king to no hasty meas- 
ures of reform for which the people were unprepared. 

The Prophetic Reform Campaign. 

They gave themselves instead to a deliberate cam- 
paign of prophetic appeal among the people. Two as- 
pects of the political situation favored their work. It 
was clear, on the one hand, that the gods of Assyria 
were not after all invincible, for the great capital city, 
Nineveh, was actually in danger. Nahum could confi- 
dently predict, as he did either at this time or a few 
years later, that that old lion's lair was to be raided 
and given over to destruction. On the other hand, the 
Scythians, of whom Herodotus gives us trustworthy but 
scanty information, were threatening all Western Asia. 
Jeremiah describes their brutal and resistless advance 
(Jer. 5:14-18; 6:22-26). Zephaniah, too, calls the 
people to repentance lest this horde become the ap- 
pointed scourge of God, the partakers of the great sac- 
rificial banquet of which Israel will be the food (Zeph. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 45 227 

1:7-13). While the Scythians were advancing these 
and other prophets were actively preaching repentance. 
But they made slight impression until the failure of 
the horde to attack Jerusalem was universally inter- 
preted as a Divine deliverance. With eager gratitude 
the nation turned to Jehovah's worship. 

The Great Reformation. 

King and people united at once in pushing extensive 
repairs upon the temple. During these the Book of 
the Law was found and publicly read. Whether new 
or old it was novel and impressive to the nation. It was 
the precepts of their revered national law-giver ex- 
pressed in terms which vigorously appealed to their 
pride, their reverence, their loyalty, and their hope for 
the future. A wave of religious revival swept over the 
people, vigorously promoted by king and prophets. In 
details the reform was more thorough than any preced- 
ing one. The last vestiges of idolatry were abolished. 
Once more apparently the whole nation was united in 
loyalty to Jehovah. 

For a dozen years conditions in Judah must have 
seemed to an earnest worshiper of Jehovah almost 
ideal. The sudden death of Josiah at Megiddo, where 
he rashly tried to obstruct the aggression of the new 
Egyptian king, brought this golden age to an unex- 
pected and tragic close. But its fruitage was permanent. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

The condition of affairs at the time of Josiah's refor- 
mation can best be understood by a careful considera- 
tion of the things done away with by that reformation. 
Twice during the preceding sixty years the land had 
been deluged with idolatrous practices. It would seem 
as though the whole of the people were almost abso- 
lutely given over to every form of abomination. The 
work of Josiah was drastic and far-reaching, and yet 



228 Historical and Expository Notes 

the permanent results were almost nothing. The chief 
lessons for us, however, gather round the iinding of the 
Book of the Law as the chief inspiration of the reforma- 
tion, and the worthlessness of the cleansing in the case 
of the people themselves. 

The Reformation and Its Cause. 

Josiah's interest in the work of the reformation be- 
gan before the finding of the book, but the thorough- 
ness of the work, so far as he was concerned, was due 
to the finding. Recent attempts have been made to re- 
fer the term "Book of the Law" to Deuteronomy only. 
It is far more likely that it refers to the whole of the 
books of Moses. While the curses which Josiah feared 
are written in Deuteronomy, the passover which was so 
fully observed is arranged for by Exodus, and as the 
observance of that passover was part of the issue of the 
reformation, it is only fair to suppose that the book 
containing instructions was also found. The point of 
interest, however, lies in the fact that the re-discovery 
of an authoritative revelation of God revealed terrible 
departure of the people from the divine economy. The 
whole system of life and worship had so far departed 
from the law of God that the discovery of the law comes 
as a startling revelation. 

It is possible to build up a whole system of life around 
a truth until it is powerless and forgotten. Precisely 
the same thing happened in the dark ages. The Church 
became corrupt beyond compare, though its very exist- 
ence was due to the revelations of God and its constitu- 
tion was given in the Scriptures. The re-discovery of 
the Bible by Martin Luther brought about what we 
speak of as the Reformation. 

Is it not true even to-day that, as a living book of 
direct value, the Bible is too often hidden under a mass 
of tradition and violated in its teaching by many who 
claim relationship to the Church of which it is the 
charter? Would not a real re-diecovery of it and an ac- 
tual application of its teaching bring about a reforma- 



Old Testament Biographical Bevies, Lesson 45 229 

tion which would amount even to revolution of many 
of our customs even within the Church? To say the 
least, it would be well for us to dare to make the at- 
tempt. The true reformer in these days is the man 
who will bring back into all the activities of the Church 
the word of God as a living and authoritative message. 

The Failure of the Reformation and Its Cause. 

The reformation failed so far as the people were con- 
cerned. When the book was remitted to Huldah for 
confirmation of its validity, she at once pronounced it 
authoritative, but declared that while the king should 
be spared because his heart was right, yet the curses the 
book pronounced should surely fall upon the people 
because they had forsaken God. 

The failure speaks to us to-day in solemn warning. 
To take the Scriptures merely as a book of regulations 
for outward conduct is of no avail for man or nation. 
There must be inward and spiritual obedience. Char- 
acter is more than creed. Great propositions of refor- 
mation are suggested to-day along the lines of apply- 
ing the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount to the 
conduct of the age. Nothing can avail, however, that 
does not begin by the turning of men back to God in 
heart. 

Conclusion. 

The value of the Divine revelation is remarkably em- 
phasized by this lesson, and also its true use. Without 
its corrective note abuses of all sorts will go on un- 
checked until the Church will be so conformed to the 
world that the line of demarcation will be obliterated. 



230 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 46. JEREIIIAH THE PROPHET. His Warnings 
Rejected aad Jerusalem Captured. Scripture Sec- 
tion, Jer. ch. 36 ; 2 Ki. 23 : 36-24 : 17 

1. Historical Notes 
Bv Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.O., Yale University 

His Call to Prophetic Service* 

If ever a human being was born with an aptitude for 
the work actually performed by him, that one was Jere- 
miah. An ardent patriot, a student of history and of 
life, a far-sighted and discriminating judge of tenden- 
cies, political and social, a firm believer in the power, 
wisdom, righteousness and goodness of God, and withal 
a man of iron resolution along with all of his natural 
tenderness, he was rarely fitted to serve his generation 
with success. It must be said that to the men of his 
day and even to himself his career seemed a ridiculous 
failure. We can trace in his utterances the battles he 
had to wage in his own soul against the sense of loneli- 
ness, isolation, despondency, and sometimes even a kind 
of doubt. Every project dear to him went wrong. 
Even the great and happy reformation in which he par- 
ticipated in his earlier active days did not accomplish 
lasting results. From one end of his life to the other 
he was a more or less disappointed man, yet in every 
crisis he was faithful to his prophetic opportunity. 

A pathetic touch is given to his life when we read in 
the account of his summons to prophetic activity that 
he foresaw these conditions. He was not eager to un- 
dertake the office; he knew the unpopularity of the 
messages he must deliver; he needed the promise that 
Jehovah would be his wall of defense, his pillar, his 
shield from the foes who would bitterly attack him from 
every point of vantage. 

In spite of these conditions, perhaps because of them, 
Jeremiah was the great oracle to his half century. _ He 
maintained steadfastly the Divine initiation and dixec- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 46 231 

tion of its distinctive events; he explained its disasters 
as proof of the persistence of God's righteous purposes; 
he affirmed also that the great Divine purpose was 
Israel's active repentance and obedience. 

His Melancholy Duty. 

While king Josiah was on the throne his prophesy- 
ing, like that of Isaiah, was directed chiefly at the so- 
cial sins of the people and the need of repentance. He 
was an apostle of reform. He had many friends, disci- 
ples and allies. He was reasonably popular. At the 
accession of Jehoiakim all was changed. Then came 
the real beginning of his painful experience. Regard- 
ed with contemptuous scorn by the king and his circle, 
branded by them as a traitor and a croaker of evil, who 
achieved only the paralyzing of his people's energies, he 
came to be avoided by all in a way which made life lone- 
ly. This result was the more quickly reached because 
in the prophetic order were many men of standing and 
influence who bitterly opposed and openly insulted him. 
No wonder that the common people failed to discrimi- 
nate. A Pashhur (20:2) and a Hananiah (28:1-13) 
may well have seemed to them as worthy of trust. 

Jeremiah was a friendly soul, delighting in harmony 
and good-will, hence his life was for many years a liv- 
ing tragedy, since he did not cease because of the perse- 
cution to give expression to that which had aroused it. 
He only comforted himself in God and declared the 
truth which he saw. 
The Sudden Change of the Political Map. 

About the time of Josiah's death Nineveh was ap- 
proaching its fall. It was, in fact, the evident weak- 
ness of Assyria that prompted the Pharaoh to advance 
with a huge army into Syria with the hope of supplant- 
ing that nation as sovereign of the Western Asiatic peo- 
ples. A year or two later Nineveh capitulated to the 
Medes and Babylonians, who redistributed the rights 
of empire, Nabopolassar the Babylonian sovereign re- 
ceiving as muck as be could conquer and hold of the 



232 Historical and Expository Notes 

countries west of the Tigris. As soon as possible a de- 
cisive struggle for supremacy took place at Carchemish 
on the upper Euphrates, between the forces of Baby- 
lonia, led by the young prince, Nebuchadnezzar, and 
the host of Egypt. The latter was utterly routed, al- 
most annihilated. At one stroke the great question of 
mastery was settled. Almost at once by the death of 
his father Nebuchadnezzar became the sovereign of the 
West. 

Nebuchadnezzar God's Servant. 

Jeremiah saw that the new ruler was the dominant 
personality of that age. He opposed in every way re- 
sistance to him, and pleaded with Judah to repent lest 
God should use him as a scourge. In spite of Jeremiah, 
the nation under Jehoiakim's lead did rebel and suf- 
fered the light penalty, because of a prompt submis- 
sion, of a partial captivity. Those who were carried 
away were the choicest personalities, according to Jere- 
miah (ch. 24), but only a fraction of the people. 

Under king Zedekiah there was only a nominal sub- 
mission. Jeremiah, convinced that God had abandoned 
the hope of continuing the nation, saw no other pros- 
pect than that of dissolution and captivity. Nebuchad- 
nezzar had received his commission. This outlook, 
however, opened the way to a brighter one. God would 
unite, some day, all truly obedient servants, and thus 
create a new Israel for service. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. a. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Introductory. 

Our lesson brings us into the midst of terrible times. 
With the passing of Josiah all the apparent reformation 
came to an end. As Huldah had foretold there had 
been no heart repentance, and with the accession of Je- 
hoiakim, there was an immediate return of all into 
idolatrous practices of the past. Jeremiah, who had 
been associated with Josiah in the work of reformation, 
was now commissioned by God to deliver the message 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 46 233 

of denunciation and judgment. He was a man of great 
heart, and all he suffered caused him the most intense 
sorrow. Nevertheless he was loyal to God and deliv- 
ered his message, notwithstanding the fact that its de- 
livery put him in great peril. There are two matters 
which demand our most careful attention: (1) The 
word of the Lord, and (2) the message of the Lord. 
The Word of the Lord. 

This word was communicated directly to Jeremiah, 
and its nature was essentially of judgment. Israel and 
Judah had filled up the cup of their iniquity to the 
brim, and the time was come for judgment. Yet it 
must be carefully noted that the uttering of the words 
of judgment was an utterance of mercy. "It may be 
that the house of Judah will hear; . . . that they 
may return; that I may forgive" (Jer. 36:3). God 
never visits a man or nation with judgment until every 
chance has been given of repentance. In this the real 
tenderness of the denunciation is manifest. When He 
who knows the heart of man knows that there will be 
no repentance, He still speaks again that no excuse may 
be offered, and every mouth may be stopped when His 
judgment comes. The king received the message in de- 
fiance and committed the writing to the fire. Daring 
is the courage of foolhardiness. But it cannot destroy 
the word uttered, nor prevent its fulfillment. More 
than once has the written word of God been burned, but 
never destroyed. In spite of rebellion the truth has 
triumphed. In these days men do not commit to the 
flames the written word. They have other ways of at- 
tempting its destruction — by denial of its Divine origin 
and the authority of its message. Those who testify 
to its truth and repeat its messages may have to suffer 
and wait like Jeremiah, but history will vindicate them 
and it. 
The Message of the Lord. 

The whole of the facts concerning Jeremiah need to 
be kept in mind in order to get an understanding of 



234 Historical and Expository Notes 

all that the delivery of the message meant to him. He 
was a man of sensitive nature, loving his people with a 
great love and hating the thought of their suffering. 
Yet he was a man loving God more than men. Loyalty 
to the Lord compelled his uttering of the things so 
dreadful and at such personal cost. This is God's con- 
stant method, the true messenger is always a son of love. 
When the final judgment had to be pronounced upon 
Jerusalem, the King of Love himself pronounced it in 
a voice choked with emotion. Oh, that all upon whom 
God lays the awful burden of delivering the doom of 
the finally impenitent would remember this ! Only 
weeping men have any right to speak of the strange and 
awful yet necessary acts of the Divine judgment. 

Yet, however tenderly delivered, such messages will 
always meet opposition, for the heart of man is ever 
in rebellion against the most righteous judgment of 
God. The denunciation of sin is never popular. In 
olden days men burned the prophet with his writings. 
To-day they burn neither, but through misrepresenta- 
tion and refined forms of persecution the prophets are 
made to suffer. Yet let them never be afraid. It is 
said of Baruch and Jeremiah, "Jehovah hid them." 
There is always a hiding-place in God for those who 
suffer. 

Conclusion. 

If God sends His word to us, let us profit by the 
warning of the lesson. If through us He speaks, let us 
pray for the tender heart and unflinching loyalty to 
Him in saying whatever He commands. Suffering there 
will be, but safety also. Sin will always be angry when 
denounced, but God will hide us in His pavilion. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 47 235 

Lesson 47. JEREHIAH THE PATRIOT. Jerusalem 
Destroyed and the Jews Carried Captive. Scripture 
Section, Jer. 37: 1-39: 10; 2 Ki. 24: 18-25: 21 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Last Decade of Judah. 

The part played by Jeremiah during the reign of 
Zedekiah over Judah was depressing, but hardly more 
so than that played by the king. An appointee of 
Nebuchadnezzar, he was the puppet of his own sub- 
jects, wholly unable to control the turbulent nobles. For 
a large share of the reign he remained nominally loyal 
to his liege lord. Jeremiah assisted him in keeping the 
people from rebellion by vigorously preaching, sym- 
bolically and directly, the certain result of such action. 
Early in the reign when the states of Palestine (Jer. 
chs. 27, 28) had sent ambassadors to Judah urging that 
a coalition against Nebuchadnezzar be formed, Jere- 
miah publicly handed an ox-yoke to each of the em- 
bassies to be given to their king with the declaration 
that revolt meant certain exile. Later a so-called 
prophet, Hananiah, one of that class of self-deceived 
or intriguing leaders who gave Jeremiah so much dis- 
tress, dared to predict at the temple that within two 
years Jehovah would break Nebuchadnezzar's power 
and return to Judah the vessels and captives already 
carried away. He gave impressiveness to this declara- 
tion by snatching from Jeremiah's neck the wooden 
yoke which he was carrying and breaking it in pieces. 
Jeremiah departed, but soon returned with this word 
from Jehovah: "True, Hananiah, you have broken 
the wooden yoke, but a yoke of iron shall take its place. 
These nations will cast off with comparative ease the 
kindly rule of Nebuchadnezzar, but the penalty of their 
rebellion shall be a really grievous servitude." The 
meditated revolt did not take place at that time. But 
the nobles increased in power, they overruled the weak 



236 Historical and Expository Notes 

sovereign, they publicly disgraced Jeremiah, they en- 
couraged the people in open idolatry. By 588 b. a, 
relying mainly upon the glowing promises of the emis- 
saries of the new king of the freshly prospering Egypt, 
the young Hophra or Apries, Judah with Tyre and Am- 
nion accepted the alliance and renounced their Baby- 
lonian fealty. By this act Judah's doom was sealed. 
Nebuchadnezzar was deliberate (Ezek. 21:21), but 
ruthless. He planned a skilful campaign, laid waste 
the country, and invested Jerusalem. 
Ezekiel's Contemporaneous Activity. 

Despite Jeremiah's declarations, the people in Judah 
seemed to believe to the last that Jehovah would in 
some way intervene, as He had done a century earlier, 
and prevent the destruction of people or city or temple. 
Their relatives carried off: to Babylonia in 597 B. 0. 
cherished similar hopes. The supreme task, in fact, 
laid upon the true prophets at this crisis was to pre- 
serve the faith of the people in Jehovah in the face of 
the impending overwhelming calamities. Fortunate it 
was that in Babylonia was a prophet of priestly rank 
who was adequate to this task. Beginning in the fifth 
year of the exile and continuing until the downfall of 
Jerusalem, he portrayed God's real attitude toward the 
nation and the reasons for it in a way which truly en- 
lightened the exiles, caused them to submit to their 
lot, and gradually to enter into the opportunities afford- 
ed by their Babylonian environment. 
The Fall of Jerusalem. 

Despite the approach of Hophra's army, forcing 
Nebuchadnezzar to raise the siege of Jerusalem for a 
time in order to march southward to meet him, the fall 
of the city was never in doubt. The Babylonian army 
soon returned and invested it closer than ever. The 
siege lasted for a year and a half. Its horrors are re- 
flected by passages in the book of Lamentations. Pes- 
tilence and famine so weakened the brave defenders at 
last that in 586 B. c. in July the besiegers were able 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 47 237 

to force an entrance into the doomed city. Zedekiah 
tried to escape, but was captured, blinded and taken 
to Babylon. Many of his nobles, captains and principal 
men were slain. Numbers were carried off as captives. 
The temple was stripped of its treasures and then burnt, 
the palace and city being likewise destroyed. This time 
Nebuchadnezzar did thorough work. He blotted out 
the nation of Judah. 

The Outlook of the Prophets. 

The destruction of Jerusalem was not the deathblow 
of prophetic hopes. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel believed 
in Jehovah, His love for His people of Israel, and His 
purpose to use them for the enlightenment and bless- 
ing of the world. They felt sure that His purpose would 
yet be fulfilled through a true Israel, no longer, how- 
ever, a political Israel, but an aggregation of those who 
were true to Israelitish ideals. When all hearts were 
sick and sore, they comforted them by glowing pictures 
of the future which would surely be realized under the 
leadership of a wise and strong shepherd who would be 
God's true representative. Thus the calamity became 
only the precursor of a brighter day. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northtteld, Mass. 

Introductory. 

In this lesson we have reached the crisis in the his- 
tory of the chosen people in which its power is broken, 
and it is almost entirely carried into captivity. To the 
very last a prophet of God bears solemn testimony to 
the fact of His supremacy and government, even though 
such testimony was given at the cost of great and cruel 
persecution. The sounding of that voice, had they but 
known their day, was always an opportunity for re- 
pentance and return. Instead of repentance, their at- 
titude was one of continuous rebellion until the irrev- 
ocable blow fell and they were carried away, a royal 
people by Divine intention, broken and enslaved by a 



238 Historical and Expository Notes 

Godless people. We may gather lessons of encourage- 
ment and warning from the action of the prophet and 
the attitude of the people. 

The Man. A Revelation of Loyalty. 

The appointed portion of Scripture cannot be stud- 
ied without a double sense of horror and admiration — 
horror at the terrible suffering through which the 
prophet passed, and admiration at the magnificent con- 
sistency with which he persisted in speaking only the 
message of Jehovah. This is a perpetual wonder in the 
history of the true messenger of God. It would have 
been easy for him to miss the persecution, and the 
prison, and all the terrible suffering. A modification 
of his message by accommodation to the desire of the 
princes, a softening of its terrible roughness, even a gen- 
eral denunciation of sin without the particular insist- 
ance upon the falsity of their hopes from Egypt, and 
the certainty of the victory of the Chaldeans, any of 
these changes would have saved him. Yet he never fal- 
tered, but steadily, in spite of the anger of man, the 
voice reiterated what God had given him to say, which 
brought upon him the sufferings described. This has 
been repeated in all ages. Many examples might be 
quoted. Let one of the simplest be chosen. In the 
days of the old Scotch Covenanters a wee laddie, one 
Jamie Douglas, for refusing to play traitor to truth 
was one day held over a steep and rough precipice by 
a brutal soldier, and given the option of disloyalty or 
death. Looking up into the face of the man with eyes 
bright with the light of truth and heroism, he said: 
"Drop me down, then, if ye must ; 'tis ne'er so deep as 
hell." What is the secret of heroism like that of Jere- 
miah and Jamie Douglas? It springs from personal 
knowledge of God. To see God is ever to see all other 
matters in their true proportion and perspective. We 
live in davs when disloyalty to the testimony of truth 
is not likely to produce such physical sufferings, and 
our need for loyalty on the selfish side is not so great. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 47 239 

Here is our subtle temptation. There is, however, the 
same need for loyalty, and there is still suffering for 
righteousness' sake. 
The Nation. A Warning. 

The warning afforded by the history of the people is 
so patent as to need little argument. It is the story of 
the strange and awful hardening of heart and con- 
science which ever follows upon persistent sin. What 
a strange infatuation possesses the rebellious! With 
all the history of the centuries behind them, and its 
testimony to the certainty of punishment and defeat 
following upon refusal to listen to the voice of the mes- 
sengers of God, these rulers and people persisted in the 
courses against which the prophet had warned them 
until it was too late, and the blow fell in all its tremen- 
dous force. Let it be ours to examine our own hearts 
as to the principle of action which masters us. Are we 
blinded by sin until the very vision of righteousness 
is dimmed? The question can only be answered by 
determined submission of our own lives to the scrutiny 
and testing of the Word of God. If by that testing we 
find we are wrong, He will receive, restore, renew the 
repentant soul, but persistent rebellion can only end in 
destruction. 



240 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 48. DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS. Stories from 
the Captivity in Babylon. Scripture Section, Dan. 
chs. 1-6 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Vale University 

The Location and Duration of the Exile. 

The second division of exiles, like the first, was car- 
ried off to Babylonia, and forced to settle down not far 
from the capital city. There the unhappy remnant of 
those who were once so proud of their lineage and their 
land was permitted to lead its own kind of life and en- 
couraged to make permanent homes. Babylon was not 
the only country in which exiles from Judah were to 
be found. Multitudes were in Egypt as well. In both 
countries their lot might have been far worse than it 
actually was. The exiles were free to take advantage 
of the opportunities for trade or culture which each 
country offered. Their principal restriction was in re- 
gard to their movements. They could not return to 
their old homes. 

For about half a century the exile continued. In 
537 b. c. Cyrus issued the famous rescript which per- 
mitted the captive peoples in Babylonia to return to 
their proper homes with the gods that had also been 
carried away. Jeremiah's estimate of seventy years 
(Jer. 25:12; 29:10) is either to be interpreted as a 
round number or to be counted to the completion of the 
second temple. 

The Opportunities Thereby Offered. 

No better training ground than Babylonia could have 
been assigned to Israel. It was a land of religious cul- 
ture, or commercial opportunity, of freedom to rise by 
the exhibition of ability. Men of priestly rank among 
the exiles debarred from their usual duties, and in- 
spired by the example of the Babylonian priestly 
literati, turned their energies to the study, the editing 
and the publication of their sacred writings. Others 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 48 241 

gave themselves to business and became bankers or mer- 
chants. So successful did they become that Jews were 
soon found in active business all over the empire in 
every important city. A third opening for talent was 
afforded by the court and government. The records 
of the Babylonian state show that the case of Daniel 
and his companions was not exceptional. If by beauty 
of person or by exceptional ability a foreign-born cap- 
tive attracted the favorable notice of those in prison, 
he was frequently treated with consideration, appointed 
to a position at the court, and given the chance to rise. 
Curious as the statement may seem, it is true that the 
Babylonian administration was managed on a fairly 
democratic basis, efficiency being the test of the ser- 
vice, at least in subordinate posts. For a captive to 
become the third ruler of the kingdom was, of course, 
very rare, yet Nehemiah, an ardent and probably a con- 
sistent Jew, was the cup-bearer, an office of great dis- 
tinction, responsibility and influence, to the Persian 
sovereign. 

The Lessons of the Exile. 

After the death of Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B. c, a 
short series of incapable or unfortunate sovereigns 
brought to the throne in 556 Nabonidas, the last record- 
ed ruler of the empire. Belshazzar was his son and 
may have been for a time the regent, but of this there 
is no direct evidence. To all intents and purposes he 
was a ruler, but not the actual sovereign, for all known 
business documents of the era were dated in the name 
of Nabonidas down to the very week in which they be- 
gin to be dated in the name of Cyrus. 

Under these later sovereigns the captives were ap- 
parently liable to harsher treatment. They may have 
been drafted for the never-ending work of erecting or 
repairing the stately temples and palaces and the im- 
portant works of a public character. They may have 
exposed themselves as a body to severity by reason of 
unrest and insubordination. There are, at least, hints 



242 Historical and Expository Notes 

in the prophetic writings of the time that many were 
exposed to sufferings almost unendurable. 

The experiences of the exile, varied as they were, gave 
rich instruction to the little nation which made its new 
headquarters by the river Chebar. It was first of all 
cured of idolatry. Either its repulsion at the extrava- 
gant religious eclecticism of the Babylonians, or the 
growing conviction that Jehovah had sent the exile as a 
deserved reminder to be faithful to Him, or both to- 
gether brought the people to an attitude of loyalty to 
Jehovah from which they did not recede. 

The people were at the same time brought into a 
working unity. All differences were minimized in the 
presence of the greater exigency. While knowing their 
own mind, however, as a people, and never yielding 
their purpose to restore the Jewish state, they entered 
freely and effectively into the educational and commer- 
cial opportunities of Babylonia. Thus they won the 
genuine strength, the resourcefulness and the breadth 
of outlook which carried them safely through the vicis- 
situdes of the next five centuries. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Introductory. 

This lesson reveals the possibilities of Godliness in 
the midst of circumstances of ungodliness. Daniel and 
his friends were loyal to God even in the land of their 
captors, and amid all the enticements of the court. In 
such circumstances, perhaps, the subtlest of all tempta- 
tions assault the men of faith. It is so much easier 
to float with the stream than to stem it. The princi-' 
pie of accommodation appeals so strongly to our desire 
for ease, that it needs very definite courage to resist. 

Our lesson may be best learned by centering our at- 
tention upon Daniel, and the key to the splendid fidel- 
ity of the man may be found in the repeated statement 
that he was a man of excellent spirit. Let us examine 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 48 243 

that spirit that we may cultivate it, and so be able to 
maintain a similar loyalty under circumstances of diffi- 
culty. 

A Spirit of Purpose. 

This is declared in the beginning of the story (1:8). 
Directly Daniel found himself in a place of peril "he 
purposed in his heart." This is of supreme importance. 
Thousands of men drift into evil courses for lack of a 
definite and positive committal of themselves to a right 
course. To delay at the first consciousness of perilous 
surroundings is to compromise presently, and finally to 
apostatize. Daniel speaks in no uncertain tones : 

Dare to have a purpose firm, 
Dare to make it known. 

Spirit of Prayer. 

Nothing stands out more clearly than the fact that 
this man of purpose was a man of prayer. When the 
interpretation of the king's dream was asked he called 
his friends into a compact of prayer, and the subsequent 
story reveals him as a man having regular habits of 
prayer. This is of equal importance with the former and 
is the strength of its realization. Strong purpose is only 
powerful in execution as we are dependent on God. The 
heart may be firmly determined to loyalty, but unless 
we know how to lean hard upon God the forces against 
us will prove too much for us. A man meaning to do 
right and depending upon God is invincible. 

A Spirit of Perception. 

There is no doubt that the gift of interpretation 
which Daniel received was one specially bestowed on 
him by God for specific purposes. The immediate ap- 
plication to us is, that to the man who has made his 
purpose and waits upon God, there will be given a 
clarity of vision which will enable him to accomplish 
the Divine work allotted to him. It may be, as in the 
case of Daniel, that of interpretation, or it may be in 
some other department. The one certain fact is that 



244 Historical and Expository Notes 

such a man will be "of quick understanding in the fear 

of the Lord." 

A Spirit of Power. 

Growing out of the fact already considered is the 
final one of the strength of this man. This was mani- 
fest in his quiet refusal to eat of the king's meat and 
drink of his wine. It was a small matter, but victory 
here meant greater strength and larger triumph later 
on, as defeat here might have meant disaster finally. 
This strength is manifest again when he dares to in- 
terpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream faithfully, though it 
foretells his condign punishment, and even more strik- 
ingly when he fearlessly denounces Belshazzar and fore- 
tells his doom. It needs true strength to correct those 
upon whose patronage we seem to depend. Yet in all 
he was a man of strength. It is interesting to note 
how loyalty to God issued in his case, in his coming into 
positions of great importance in Babylon, Media and 
Persia. Too often we grasp at earthly power by com- 
promise, and eventually lose it. The only power of 
value is that which rests upon consistency in the path- 
way of truth. 
Conclusion. 

This story reveals the secret sources of true great- 
ness, and affords an illustration of how the cultivation 
of these issues in manifest strength. 



Old Testament Biographical Bevies, Lesson 49 245 

Lesson 49. ZERUBBABEL AND THE RETURN. The 
Captivity Ended and the Tempie Rebuilt. Scripture 
Section, Ezra chs. 1-6 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Conquest of Babylonia by «Cyrus. 

The Neo-Babylonian empire did not long outlast the 
death of the great Nebuchadnezzar. During his reign 
he had regarded the warlike Medes as his truly danger- 
ous foes and had completed great defensive works at the 
points of probable invasion. But Babylonia's real foe 
appeared from another quarter. One of the vassal- 
princes of Media, the prince of Ansan, Cyrus by name, 
developed suddenly a prowess which proved invincible. 
He enlarged his own territory, subdued the Medes, in- 
vaded and conquered the North and West country, and 
within a decade had become the undisputed master of 
all the available world except Babylonia and Egypt. By 
that time it was clear to any keen observer that Baby- 
lonia would be his next objective and that he was likely 
to succeed. Passages like Isaiah 13 : 17-22 ; 43 : 14 and 
44 : 28-45 : 6 reflect the exultant forecasts of the prophets 
of the Jewish people. All eyes were turned toward the 
famous conqueror. Cyrus did not disappoint these 
hopes. In 538 b. c. he invaded Babylonia from two 
directions, was treacherously given access to the central 
city and won the empire with scarcely a blow. 

His Generous Policy. 

Cyrus was a truly great leader of men. He could 
win the faithful and enthusiastic service of his most 
determined opponents by his large-minded considera- 
tions. He was willing to give great freedom of action 
to loyal subjects. One of his first acts after assuming 
control in Babylonia was to give free permission to the 
peoples of foreign birth living as captives in Babylonia 
to return to their homes, carrying with them their gods, 



246 Historical and Expository Notes 

for whom they were urged to erect suitable shrines. 
The inscription reporting this decree does not mention 
the Jews among the people who were included under its 
provisions; but our records afford the requisite proof. 
We only note that their case was not exceptional. They 
would hardly have been overlooked, for there were 
strategic reasons for repopulating the hills of Palestine 
with a sturdy and loyal race, and for rebuilding their 
strong fortress, Jerusalem. There were plenty of peo- 
ple in southern Palestine; but they were dispirited, poor 
and without leaders. 
The Meager Response. 

It is a curious fact that no great number of the Jews 
of Babylonia cared to take advantage at this time of the 
permission accorded by Cyrus. Babylon had become 
the actual homeland of the living generation. It was 
the land of larger opportunity. Moreover they had be- 
come accustomed to the faithful worship of the God of 
their fathers in a foreign land. To abide underthe shadow 
of the temple no longer seemed essential. The few who 
were eager to return were those whose lives were in the 
past. 
The Spirit of the Return. 

The Jews who were ready to return at any sacrifice 
were the spiritual children of Ezekiel, not of Jeremiah. 
They had a spirit of exclusiveness, not of catholicity. 
They were committed to the policy of achieving right- 
eousness by living a life of strict conformity to rule in 
virtual seclusion from the rest of the world. They were, 
therefore, tending toward intolerance, exclusiveness 
and bigotry. According to Ezra 4 : 1-5 the manifestation 
of this spirit by the first returners led to a frustration 
of their plans for rebuilding the temple. 
The Rebuilding of the Temple. 

Be that as it may, in the opening years of the reign 
of Darius, the leaders of the community in Judah, 
stirred by the exhortation of Haggai and sustained by 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 49 247 

the glowing visions of Zechariah, gave themselves with 
energy to the work of building the temple and of re- 
pairing the city wall, especially to the former task. In- 
terrogated by the governor of the district they appealed 
to the decree of Cyrus. After long search the original 
decree was discovered at Ecbatana and confirmed by 
Darius, who also made liberal grants-in-aid. 

Encouraged by the royal favor the building rose 
rapidly and was dedicated with great rejoicing in the 
sixth year of the reign of Darius. 

The Rekindled Hopes. 

Such passages as Haggai 2:9, 21-23 and Zechariah 
2:4; 6 : 11-15, 8 : 1-9, reveal the intensity of the hopes 
aroused in the hearts of the loyal Jews by the success- 
ful completion of the temple. It was more than their 
national rallying-place ; it betokened the reassociation 
of Jehovah's presence with his people. They looked for- 
ward with confidence to the speedy sweeping away of 
their foes, the glorification of the temple, the suprem- 
acy of the nation and the fulfilment of their hopes. 

II. Expository Notes 
By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

Just fifty years after the fall of Jerusalem the edict 
of Cyrus went forth which made possible the return and 
restoration. Jeremiah had predicted a seventy years' 
servitude. This is significant from the fact that it was 
twenty years later than the edict of Cyrus when the 
temple was dedicated, and until then the servitude had 
not really ceased. This return judged by the human 
standards was indeed a poverty stricken affair. Less than 
fifty thousand people, all told, returned, and less than 
half a million dollars were subscribed toward the work. 
Yet seen in the light of the Divine movement it was a 
wonderful event, issuing in important and far-reaching 
results. 



248 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Divine Activity. 

The key to the whole movement is found in a word 
spoken by one of the prophets of the period. "Not by 
might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of 
hosts" (Zech. 4:6). These people did not reach their 
city and build their temple in any single sense through 
the strength of armies. It was wholly through the 
government by God of the affairs of the nations. This 
is remarkably stated in Ezra 6 : 14. "They builded and 
finished it, according to the commandment of the God 
of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, a.ad 
Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia." It came about 
through perfectly natural events. Cyrus conquered 
Babylon and then permitted all exiles to return to their 
own land. In this permission is seen the over-ruling 
hand of God. It was not a thing to be expected, and yet 
quite possible in the very nature and caprice and despot- 
ism of such a potentate. The hearts of men are all 
unknown to themselves, under the control of God for 
the accomplishment of His purpose. "Thus saith 
Jehovah to Cyrus ... I have surnamed thee, 
though thou hast not known me" (Is. 45 : 1, 4) . If this 
lesson only serves to remind us of this great truth it 
will be of inestimable value to us. The ambition of 
kings, the policies of statesmen, the feverishness of na- 
tions, all are limited and manipulated by God for the 
carrying out of His designs. All things obey and serve 
the far-reaching and sublime purpose of God. 

The Returning Remnant. 

While it is true that the numbers and wealth 
of those returning were poor indeed, yet it is 
also true that measured by other standards it 
was a remnant chosen and selected. With God 
quality always counts for more than quantity. 
One man truly loyal is of greater value than a thousand 
time-servers, and one dollar which represents sacrifice, 
is far greater in producing power than millions given 
grudgingly or in a spirit of patronage and pride. The 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 49 249 

nature of the edict of Cyrus was permissory, and there- 
fore the going was voluntary. Those who set their faces 
toward the old place were such as had appreciated the 
true meaning of their captivity, and were in the true 
sense of the word chastened thereby. The vast ma- 
jority never returned. They preferred the comforts of 
their degradation, and so were absorbed and lost as to 
their nationality. Those who went were a remnant of 
Judah and Israel, who notwithstanding all their weak- 
ness and continued frailty loved their Divinely-ap- 
pointed nationality, and returned in loyalty of heart to 
Jehovah. Frail and faulty indeed they were, as their 
long neglect of the house of God subsequently demon- 
strated, yet loyal and willing to be led, as their response 
to the messages of Haggai and Zechariah prove. The 
one fact of supreme importance to remember is that 
these people had at least learned one truth of overwhelm- 
ing importance, namely, that of the fact of the one God, 
for idolatry never again found a place in their history. 
Conclusion. 

Oh, the comfort to our hearts to-day of those strange 
old stories ! God is never defeated. He will not suffer 
any failure on the part of man to finally prevent the vic- 
tories upon which His heart is set. Kings and king- 
doms serve His purpose. 

He chooses the weak things to confound the mighty. 
Let us not despair if out of so poor a people, poor in 
earthly possession and moral fibre, He established a 
centre and maintained a testimony until the Deliverer 
came. He will not suffer any evil combination to ex- 
tinguish the light or silence the voice of truth until He 
come a second time. 



250 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 50. NEHEITIAH THE BUILDER OF THE WALL. 
The Jews Re-established in Jerusalem. Scripture 
Section, Neh. chs. 1=6; 12 : 27=43 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Dispersion and its Significance. 

Looked at from a later period the dispersion, far from 
being a calamity for Israel, was its opportunity. Cul- 
ture, wealth, freedom of life, influence and often power 
came to the Jewish citizen of the broader empire. Even 
before the conquest by Cyrus, the exiled captive was free 
to engage in commercial or literary pursuits. There- 
after he was as unrestricted in life as any other man. 

Israel thus found her means of educating the world 
in righteousness. The Jews were quick to seize their 
opportunities. They scattered all over the civilized, 
commercial world. Everywhere they formed communi- 
ties, often very influential, which preserved an unchang- 
ing loyalty to the institution of Judaism. Thus they 
were enabled to influence the world in a way impossible 
to a people shut up in Palestine. "Israel abroad" be- 
came of far greater importance than the "Israel at 
home." 

Nehemiah's Position. 

The possibilities before a fine specimen of the Jewish 
race in that tolerant age are well illustrated by the his- 
tory of Nehemiah. A devout and trusted leader of his 
own people, influential and attractive, he had won his 
own way to high favor with the great king of Persia. 
He had become his intimate associate and trusted com- 
panion, exercising the dignified and important office of 
cup-bearer to the king. To have held such a position 
and yet to maintain personal integrity was to give evi- 
dence of a strong and fine character. It is not unrea- 
sonable to think that Daniel and Nehemiah were only 
two out of manv Jews who attained to lofty rank and 
large responsibility at the foreign courts. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 50 251 

The Message from Jerusalem. 

Nearly a century had passed since the gracious con- 
queror, Cyrus, had permitted the re-occupation of Ju- 
dah. The ardent hopes aroused by the rebuilding of the 
temple had been disappointed. The religious leaders 
of the people in the province, notably the priesthood, 
as Malachi almost savagely declares, had been unfaith- 
ful. Keligion was at a low ebb. It seemed that there 
was just one chance to rehabilitate the nation — by the 
rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and the restoration 
and repopulation of the city. To the faithful ones in 
Judah there was just one leader adequate for the task — 
the favorite of the dread sovereign. 

Nehemiah received the appeal; it reached his heart; 
he matured his plans; but bided the time when God 
should open the way for him to act. His chance came 
suddenly, but he was ready, and obtained from his fond 
but autocratic master all the privileges which were es- 
sential to his success. 

The Building of the Wall. 

The story of his bold and clever leadership is one of 
the most stirring narratives in the Old Testament. He 
took no chances where caution was worth the while, but 
swung the work along by sheer enthusiasm and courage 
where results were essential. Himself ever at the front, 
he protected his workmen both by diplomatic methods 
and by force, until the foes of the little community, 
alarmed at the rapid progress of the wall, tried every 
artifice for his ruin. Nehemiah, the trained courtier, 
was more than their match. Their most dangerous po- 
litical weapon he warded (Neh. 6:5); their cleverest 
religious trick he foiled by simple righteousness and 
modesty (Neh. 6:11). 

The speed of building was extraordinary. It is not 
unlikely that a numeral representing the years has 
dropped out of the text. In any case the erection was 
rapid but substantial. When once completed the city 
was safe from such attacks as it had constantly suffered. 



*5 2 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Significance of the Wall. 

The debt of the people to Nehemiah for this achieve- 
ment cannot readily be overstated. The completion of 
the wall meant more than the recovery and repopulat- 
ing of the city of Jerusalem. It gave to the people a 
sense of security and of self-confidence of the utmost 
value. It gave them a rallying-center. It furnished a 
home to which the foreign born Jew could return. No 
wonder that the dedication of the wall was so joyful 
an event, participated in by all the representatives of 
the people. 

The measures necessary to the proper use of the newly 
created city were promptly taken. When Nehemiah 
went back to the Persian court, he did so with the happy 
consciousness that the task entrusted to him had been 
gloriously carried through. Despite opposition within 
and without he had fulfilled his trust. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. O. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfleld, Mass. 

Introductory. 

This story of the building of the wall by Nehemiah 
is as thrilling as any in the whole history of these peo- 
ple. It was a piece of work of great importance at the 
time, and still greater in its effect upon subsequent his- 
tory. Through its accomplishment the people were set- 
tled and strengthened, and thus Nehemiah made a defi- 
nite contribution to the preparatory work for the com- 
ing of the Messiah. The chief value of the lesson is in 
its revelation of how a man did a piece of work of great 
importance, under circumstances of extreme difficulty. 
It is a story full of encouragement to all who in times 
of peril are called upon to do work for God, and we 
shall best learn the lessons suggested by examining the 
story as it reveals the means adopted by Nehemiah. 
There are seven matters to consider. 
Nehemiah's Interest. 

The book opens with an account of Nehemiah's in- 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 50 253 

quiry after the condition of affairs at Jerusalem. He 
was occupying a place of confidence and comfort at the 
court of Artaxerxes, but his heart was far away with his 
people, and his chief interest was with them. This is 
in itself a revelation of his strength. It is so easy to 
forget when far away, and especially when the place of 
distance is one of personal ease. 

Nehemiah's Sorrow. 

The answer to his inquiry was brief and blunt, and it 
revealed the sad condition of the people. The story 
filled him with grief. The sorrows of his people were 
his. The comfort of his own position was nothing to 
him when the beloved city was in a state of desolation. 
His sadness mastered him and manifested itself even 
in the presence of the king. This is yet a deeper note 
and reveals his character. No great work of deliverance 
has even been carried out save as it has sprung out of a 
sympathetic compassion. To feel with is to act for. 

Nehemiah's Prayer. 

The first activity is that of prayer. The method of 
the prayer is remarkable. First, confession in which he 
identifies himself with the sins of the people, then a 
pleading of the promises of God, finally a definite peti- 
tion that he might find favor with the king. Strong 
men always know their own weakness and depend upon 
God. The work which does not condition itself in 
prayer is never effective. 

Nehemiah's Activity. 

This prayer is heard and answered, and the door of 
opportunity is opened before him. The lines of his ac- 
tivity are now of the wisest. First, a quiet inspection 
which will put him in possession of the facts of the 
case, then a call to others to co-operate, then a wise and 
systematic division of labor. These again are the true 
lines of service. A patient and quiet mastering of facts, 
a readiness to call in helpers and an ability to set each 
to work in his own right place. 



254 Historical and Expository Notes 

Nehemiah's Fidelity. 

With the commencement of work came the beginning 
of hostile opposition. This manifests itself in four 
ways: (1) Criticism. This was responded to by prayer 
to God. (2) Conspiracy. To this Nehemiah answered 
by praying and setting a watch. (3) Internal disaffec- 
tion. This was corrected by self-denying ordinances, 
Nehemiah setting a splendid example. (4) Cunning. 
To this he replied by continuity in his work and steady 
refusal to be tempted away therefrom. 
Nehemiah's Victory. 

At last the wall was finished. The crown of the toil 
was in the completion of the work. The justification 
of the obstinacy was in the erected wall. No praise is 
quite so sweet as the actual work positively done. 

Nehemiah's Joy. 

The story of dedication is full of the thrill of a great 
delight. All classes stand in the triumph, for all had 
co-operated in the toil, priests, princes, and people. We 
are not surprised to read that "they sang loud" or that 
the "joy of Jerusalem was heard afar oft." In all this 
joy surely Nehemiah had the largest share, for there 
was not only the personal victory, but the great glad- 
ness he had given to others. 

Conclusion. 

No comment is equal to the story itself. Let us re- 
member that if we would at last know the triumphant joy 
which was Nehemiah's, we must begin in interest and 
tears, and proceed by prayer and toil and fidelity. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 51 255 

Lesson 51. EZRA AND NEHEHIAH ESTABLISHING 
THE LAW. The End of the Old Testament History. 
Scripture Section, Neh. 8 : 1=10 ; 39; 13 : 4-31 

1. Historical Notes 
Bv Dean Prank K. Sanders, D.D., Yale University 

The Legal and Scribal Movement in Israel. 

The exile in Babylonia did not necessarily create a 
religious literature for Israel, but assuredly stimulated 
its growth. Cut off from temple, city and land, and 
surrounded by the varied influences which make for 
culture, the Jewish leaders developed a strong desire 
for the collection and editing of the earlier writings of 
the nation, especially of the laws; and for the formu- 
lation of rules of religious life which would effectually 
prevent for the future such national unfaithfulness as 
that which had brought captivity upon them. 

The great task of collating, arranging, editing, copy- 
ing and interpreting these Scriptures soon gave rise to 
a class of skilled literati among the Jews in Babylonia. 
Some of them gave their energies to the preparation of 
perfect editions, some to their accurate reproduction, 
still others to the interpretation and exposition of their 
contents. So much stress came soon to be laid on an 
accurate knowledge of the law that these teachers were 
held in highest esteem. They acquired great influence. 
Through their unwearying labors the Old Testament 
began to come into being. 

Its Leader. 

The most notable of these scribes in the fifth century 
b. c. was Ezra, a priest born and educated in Baby- 
lonia. He excelled in scholarship and as well in re- 
ligious fervor. Under his leadership the collecting and 
arranging of the earlier law seemed to have approached 
its conclusion. He longed to see it thoroughly obeyed, 
believing that the sincere and thorough keeping of the 
law would bring prosperity and blessing to his people. 
At a date which is somewhat uncertain, but surely be- 



256 Historical and Expository Notes 

longs to the latter half of the fifth century b. 0., he 

organized an expedition to go to Judea to re-establish 

a respect for the law, which seemed to be practically 

ignored. 

His Contrast with Nehemiah. 

As leaders of an enterprise there was an interesting 
contrast between the priest Ezra and the layman Nehe- 
miah. The latter, as we have noted, was shrewd, far- 
sighted, a good judge of men, a wise and brave leader. 
The former was brave as a lion but impulsive. He 
boasted of God's guidance before the king so roundly 
(Ezra 8:22) that later on he was ashamed to request 
a guard. He would have kept the people of Judah in 
assembly regardless of the weather (Ezra 10:10-14) 
until he had personally examined into the marriages of 
the Jews with the women of other peoples, an action 
which he deemed a shameful violation of the sacred 
covenant. He had room for but one idea at a time, pur- 
suing that, however, with diligence and energy. 

Their Joint Achievement. 

Without Nehemiah, Ezra was quite incapable of carry- 
ing through a permanent reform. His methods were 
too strenuous. With Nehemiah's co-operation he could 
achieve large results. The supreme object of Ezra's 
ambition was the acceptance by the people of Judea of 
the law as the rule of life. They needed to this end 
education, inspiration and leadership. At a great as- 
sembly, held probably sometime after Ezra's first ap- 
pearance, perhaps after a number of years, the law at 
the request of the people was publicly read and ex- 
plained by Ezra and his scribes. It made a profound 
impression. For a week this instruction went on, con- 
cluding with a solemn festival of thanksgiving. Two 
weeks later was held by the evident consent of the peo- 
ple a great ceremony of confession and dedication, at 
the conclusion of which the representatives of the peo- 
ple, headed by Nehemiah, signed a solemn covenant to 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 51 257 

keep the whole law. It was "The Birthday of Judaism." 
From that day at least until now the Jews have never 
faltered in their loyalty to the whole Mosaic law, sub- 
stantially as we find it formulated in the Old Testament 
to-day. 
The Significance of the New Era* 

Judaism was a stage and a necessary one in religious 
development. It embodied many great and permanent 
ideas, notably those of holiness, purity, whole-souled 
consecration, orderliness of worship, universal educa- 
tion and absolute freedom within strict limits. Its ex- 
clusiveness and its formalism were its great drawbacks, 
but these served their purpose well, protecting and pre- 
serving both people and institutions during a period of 
constant assault. 

No less cohesive a system could have withstood suc- 
cessfully the insidious attacks of Hellenism, before 
which every other religious faith of Western Asia 
yielded. It was a fight to the finish in Maccabean days 
in the second century between the two. Out of that 
conflict arose a new and stronger Judaism with vitality, 
ambition, wisdom and the promise of spiritual power. 
By it were nurtured men like Zacharias and Nicodemus, 
as well as men like Caiaphas. The dry husk never 
ceased to protect a sweet, nutritious kernel, which was 
ready for the use of humankind. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, D.D., Northfield, Mass. 
Introduction. 

In a still later prophecy, that of Malachi, we have 
by deduction a glimpse of history subsequent to that 
of this lesson. As to the actual historic section of the 
Old Testament, this lesson is the last in order. The 
people of God are here seen gathered back to their city, 
and the united influence of Ezra and Nehemiah is ex- 
erted for establishing them in such relation to the law 
of Jehovah as shall be for their preservation until the 



258 Historical and Expository Notes 

great hour come for which all else had been preparatory. 
The lessons of the lesson gather round a method and a 
man, both of which are of vital interest, and of per- 
petual value. There are three movements: (1) The 
Beading of the Law, (2) The Establishment of a Cove- 
nant, and (3) The Enforcement of Order. In the first 
two we see the method, and in the third the man. 

The Reading of the Law. 

The story is a very old one, and at first it may seem 
as though there could hardly be any present application 
which is of value. As a matter of fact there is hardly 
any of more present urgency. This reading of the law 
was of the greatest importance both in itself and in the 
method as described. The solemn gathering of the peo- 
ple, not for any other purpose than that of hearing the 
word which was the veritable message of God, the read- 
ing of this message with such interpretation as was 
necessary to make clear its meaning, and its subsequent 
reading by the elders alone, are all methods which it 
would be well for us if we observed and imitated. The 
most urgent business of the church to-day should be 
that of demanding the attention of the age to the word 
of God, and the one supreme vocation of the Christian 
minister should be that of interpreting to men the true 
meaning of that word. Any gathering of the people 
for other purposes is less than the highest in value, and 
any message delivered other than that of God Himself, 
is likely to mislead, and can never issue in highest re- 
sults. 

The effect produced by such examination of the sa- 
cred oracles will ever be the same. First, a conscious- 
ness of failure as conduct is compared with the require- 
ments of God; secondly, a new understanding of the 
love which inspires law, a great awakening to the sense 
of the goodness and faithfulness of God ; then thirdly, 
and necessarily, a genuine humiliation and confession 
of sin and failure. These are the very results we need 
to-day more than any other, but they can only be 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 51 259 

brought about in this way. So long as men measure 
themselves by false standards they will form false esti- 
mates of themselves and of God, and instead of humilia- 
tion and confession there will be boasting and pride. 
Let the scriptures of truth be made known anew, in 
order to right thinking. 
The Subsequent Covenant. 

Yet right thinking is only of value as it issues in 
right acting. This immediately followed. The people 
renewed a covenant with Jehovah which was condi- 
tioned wholly in the terms of the divine law. All that 
they said they would do, was what God had declared 
He required them to do. The value was created by their 
willingness to do. This is an age of new and remark- 
able interest in the Scriptures, for every phase of which 
we do well to be thankful. Yet there is a great peril 
threatening us, that of being content with merely intel- 
lectual relationships to truth. This is of no great value, 
but rather tends to hardening of heart save as life is 
corrected at every point by the light which falls. To 
be conscious of shortcoming, and satisfied with it, is 
disastrous. To see the love of law, and to continue to 
break the law, is the most aggravated form of sin. Bet- 
ter not to know, than knowing, to fail to do. 
The Enforcement. 

This conviction created the conduct of Nehemiah. 
It is impossible to read the last pages of his story with- 
out feeling the fire of his conviction. There is an eager- 
ness and a passion in his method which reveals the 
depth and intensity of his belief. There are times 
which demand methods which are drastic and unspar- 
ing. Jesus made a whip once at least, and adopted the 
methods of overturning and turning out. This method 
is only to be used for those who are inside the covenant 
by profession. Do we not need to-day men who are 
"very jealous" for obedience, men who will dare the 
conventionalities and drive forth all unholy things from 
the shelter of the sanctuary of God ? 



260 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lesson 52. Review of Lessons 40-51 

1. Historical Notes 
By Dean Frank K. Sanders, D.D., Vale University 

The Last Three Centuries of the Hebrew Nation: 700-400 
B. C: A Review. 

The political downfall of the Hebrew nation was its 
spiritual salvation. The three centuries following 700 
b. c. were crowded with national disappointments, but 
these led to such fresh and vital forecastings of the fu- 
ture that hope never had a chance to die nor spiritual 
growth to cease. These were educative centuries. The 
nation discovered at once the value and the unimport- 
ance of her cherished institutions and began to dis- 
criminate among spiritual values. Thus her experi- 
ences made for the permanent enlargement of the 
world's religious outlook. 

Israel's Contact with the World. 

The conquest of Canaan by Sennacherib about 700 
B. c. was at the beginning of Israel's contact with for- 
eign nations ; but it inaugurated a close relationship of 
dependence upon great world powers, with Assyria, Neo- 
Babylonia and Persia in turn, which had great educa- 
tive importance, and was fraught with consequences 
alike good and bad. Israel learned to think in terms 
of the inhabited world. Jehovah became the Sovereign 
Providence and His dealings with His people a con- 
tinuous development of a world plan. Israel assimi- 
lated and utilized for her own ends the ingenuity, the 
culture, the enterprise of these outside nations. Her 
sons became in time true citizens of the world, loyal 
to their faith but at home everywhere. During this 
long process, and particularly before the exile, there 
were many who were influenced by the religious ideas 
and practices of their new environment to become in 
fact if not in purpose disloyal to Jehovah. On the 
whole, however, the contact was salutary. 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 52 261 

Her Safeguards. 

That this foreign influence was not wholly pernicious 
was due to certain institutional safeguards. Prominent 
among these was the temple at Jerusalem with its es- 
tablished ritual and honored priesthood. Whatever 
form of idolatry was popular it found a home and a 
certain restriction there. The temple was the never- 
changing fact, until the people foreswore idolatry al- 
together. Equal in importance were the national tra- 
ditions, ever strong in Judah. Despite the weak and 
vicious kings the line of David as a whole was noted 
for uprightness and positive leadership. A Manasseh 
was followed by a Josiah, who honored the traditions of 
his race. Most effective of all her safeguards were her 
prophetic leaders and critics. Courageous, clear- 
headed, far-sighted, outspoken, they kept the national 
conscience responsive and its vision alert and keen. 
There were never lacking at least a few Israelites who 
maintained the things worth supporting. 

Her Inevitable Downfall. 

Such as these were, however, in the minority. The 
great mass of the people loved the license and the sim- 
plicity of the foreign cults and hoped to invoke the 
powerful influence of their gods. The ethical and 
religious standards of the prophetic party they resented ; 
their leadership they rejected. With all this they pre- 
served a fanatical confidence in Jehovah's preservation 
of His temple, His city and His people. Eefusing to 
consider the consequences, they committed repeated 
acts of insubordination, until invasion and exile became 
inevitable. 

Before the exile both prophets and people had re- 
garded the nation as God's indispensable working unit. 
This supreme disaster followed by a maintenance of 
national religious standards in a foreign land revealed 
to both the great idea that God's working unit was 
rather the consecrated individual, who could serve Him 
anywhere. This advance was worth all it cost. 



262 Historical and Expository Notes 

Lines of Reconstruction. 

The working platform of the later Israel included 
some noteworthy features. An exact knowledge of the 
available Scriptures as containing the revelation of 
God's will was its foundation. This led to editorial and 
educational activity. This led to the establishment of 
the synagogue, the national gathering place for hearing 
and studying the law and the assurance of widespread 
popular intelligence. It also led to a narrow and ex- 
clusive organization of religious life and practice but, 
as we have seen, this even had its values. Judaism 
was admirably adapted for the dogged maintenance of 
ideals under bitter persecution. 

The Jew was a marked man in the last four centuries 
b. a, but his distinction was an honorable one. He 
had a clear-cut faith in a personal God, he lived up to 
the demands of that faith as he understood them, he 
was willing to undergo heroic sacrifices in its behalf; 
he impressed his sense of religious reality and values on 
people who had not even enough enthusiasm to be 
skeptics; he stood out as a true and strong religious 
leader, thus fulfilling prophecy in spite of himself. 

II. Expository Notes 

By Rev. Q. Campbell Morgan, O.D., Northfield, Mass. 

Introductory. 

We have come to the close of the quarter and the 
year. The quarter's studies have dealt with the period 
of the passing of the power of the king, and the pre- 
eminince of the prophet. Four reformations under 
kings are chronicled: Asa, Joash, Hezekiah, Josiah. 
They were practically all prophet-inspired. The per- 
sonality of Jeremiah and Isaiah are far more potential 
than that of any of the kings. The messenger of 
God was the power behind the throne asking for right- 
eousness. Every one of these kings failed in greater 
or less degree. Their reforms were also in large meas- 
ure futile. Subsequently to the kingly line yet further 



Old Testament Biographical Series, Lesson 52 263 

results were achieved. The period sees most important 
work done in the divine economy, — the reversal of the 
materialistic policy inaugurated by Solomon, the de- 
struction of the worship of Baal, the final cessation of 
idolatry, and the restoration of the law. 

The whole year has given us in outline the history of 
the Chosen People, from a man, Abraham, to a peo- 
ple broken and afflicted and yet embodying principles 
of truth of the greatest importance to the race, and pre- 
paring a channel through which a Deliverer was to come, 
and a greater work be accomplished. 

The Lessons of the Quarter. 

One overwhelming consciousness possesses the mind 
as this last period is contemplated. It is that which so 
often possessed us at the beginning, and which has 
never been wholly absent from view, that of 
the overruling God, moving in mercy and majesty 
toward the fulfilment of the deepest intention 
of His grace. Through battle and strife, through fail- 
ure and defeat, as well as through triumph and pros- 
perity, through accomplishment and victory, God has 
moved right onward. No cycle of the years has found 
Him perplexed or diverted. At every critical juncture 
He has raised up the right men, finding them where we 
should never have looked for them. Through all the 
conflict He has maintained a testimony of Godly souls 
to the truth, until when in Malachi we see these people 
in the mirror of the prophetic word, we see them a 
broken and imperfect people, who nevertheless hold en- 
shrined in their very being at least two great items of 
truth, the existence of the one God, and a passionate 
belief in a coming Deliverer. 

Such contemplation is in itself the learning of the 
profoundest lesson. High over all the trembling 
thrones of earth the one throne is established and occu- 
pied, and the true confidence of man is not in himself 
but in God, and man's only true wisdom consists in dis- 
covering and living in co-operative obedience to His law. 



264 Historical and Expository Notes 

The Lessons of the Course. 

It is admitted that in all human history there is 
nothing more remarkable than the story of the He- 
brew people. As to numbers and material glory, they 
were inferior at any point to other of the great peoples 
of the race, and yet they contributed on the spiritual and 
ethical side more of real value to the well-being of man 
than any of the rest, or than all of them combined. At 
the present time, they are a people without power, 
and yet exercising almost limitless power, a people 
scattered and peeled and yet utterly unable to lose their 
distinctive nationality, a perpetual and living testimony 
in their national death to the truths for which their 
very existence stands as evidence. To deny the Scrip- 
tures is to deny the Hebrew, and no man as yet had 
temerity to do this. Accepting then the story, we have 
studied it, and have found principles which are every- 
where present, there focussed and crystalized. The 
sovereignty of God, and man's relationship thereto are 
made clear throughout. That relationship is condi- 
tioned by the action of the will is also seen, men being 
free to obey or not. And yet again the limitations of 
that freedom is revealed, for man may break himself 
on the pillars of the throne if he will, but in such 
breaking there is a vindication of the authority thereof. 
And so finally and supremely the story teaches the sad 
history of human failure, but even yet more clearly the 
sure final triumph of divine grace. The story inspires 
in every seeing heart the cry for the coming of the 
great kingdom of God. 



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